Born to Fight
by River2027
Summary: Season 3. In the Born to Fight finale: Skynet has been defeated, leaving John with nothing left to live for. But a surprise gift from Weaver and John Henry may give him the one thing he desires most.
1. Born to Run

**Terminator**: the Sarah Connor Chronicles

title: Born to Fight

author: River2027

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Terminator, just my copy of the DVDs and XBOX game.

setting: during/after "Born to Run" season finale

genre: angst/drama/action

rating: T

warning: **Major Spoilers** for Born to Run

summary: John's POV of the events leading up to and after the time jump that changes his life forever. What happened after the Jameron scene, how John convinced Cam to rescue his mom even after her message forbade it. John's POV of the jump and the future scene. Jameron.

**Born to Run**

"John…"

Her voice was soft, softer than he'd ever heard it before. His swallowed hard, finding it difficult to breathe.

"It's time to go," Cameron finished.

He didn't want to go. He wanted to stay there forever, on top of her, their faces so close they were almost touching. And he desperately wanted to kiss her. But she was right. It was time to go.

If he didn't pull away now, he wasn't sure if he ever could. They didn't have time for this. He reluctantly backed off as she moved to replace her shirt. It was much easier for him to concentrate when she had all her clothes on.

And for the first time, he wondered how he'd even ended up in that situation. Not that he was complaining, but he wasn't stupid. She'd done it on purpose.

"Why'd you have me do it?" he asked, brow furrowed in honest confusion. "You can feel. You could have felt the sensor yourself. You feel heat. You told me that. You could have just done it yourself."

Cameron held his gaze. "Would you have believed me?"

He opened his mouth to reply, then closed it, unsure of how to respond. Would he? If she'd just told him, would he have trusted her word? Would he have needed proof?

"I don't know," he said with a heavy sigh. All he did know was the moment…the incident…had become far more than a simple sensor check.

"Did you feel anything?" he asked almost desperately. "Did that…did it mean anything to you. At all?"

She shifted her eyes to the bed, seeming to be contemplating. "I would not have stopped you."

"Stopped me?"

Her eyes rose to meet his. "If you would have kissed me. I would not have stopped you."

He swallowed hard. That didn't actually answer his question. "But would you have felt anything? Would it have meant anything to you?" _Can you truly love me? Or have I been fooling myself all this time?_

"I would not have let anyone else, if that's what you mean," she replied. "Just you."

"Just me," he repeated. He decided to take that as a good thing. It had to stem from something akin to love, right? She wouldn't let just anyone kiss her, only him.

_Why me?_

_Because I love you John and you love me._

"Were you lying?" he demanded suddenly, pressing his lips together tightly. He needed to know; needed to finally settle the internal debate raging. "When you were stuck between the trucks. When I took your chip. Were you lying?"

She met his gaze, her eyes soft and calm. "No."

He drew in a shaky breath. There couldn't be any more deception between them, no more lies. They couldn't be together if he always had to question if what came from her mouth was the truth or not. No more secrets.

"You can't lie to me anymore," he said. "You have to be honest. You have to tell me the truth. Do you understand?"

Cameron nodded slowly. "Yes. I understand."

He took a deep breath before dropping the bombshell. "What did Weaver mean?"

He saw her flinch almost imperceptibly. He'd been right. She did know something.

"What?" she repeated.

_Don't do this, Cam. Don't play games. _"The message," he repeated, lip twitching in slight irritation. "The one Ellison brought? The one that upset you. 'Will you join us?' What does that mean?"

Cameron remained silent.

"It means something," John prodded. "And you know what it is. Don't lie to me."

Cameron finally looked up. "Future John sent a message to a liquid metal Terminator, asking the question 'Will you join us?'"

John frowned. "So, what does that –-"

"Only four people know the meaning of that phrase," Cameron explained. "Future-You. Me. Jesse. And the Terminator we asked the question of."

John could feel the wheels turning. "So if Weaver knows the phrase…"

"Weaver is the Terminator," Cameron finished.

John's mouth dropped open, stunned. "She's…she's a Terminator?"

"Yes."

"Liquid metal?"

"Yes."

He was numb for a moment. Liquid metal…Terminator. He whipped his head back to Cameron, feeling betrayed.

"You weren't going to tell me? You were gonna let me and Mom walk in there? To meet a _Terminator_?" His voice rose at the end.

"Yes," Cameron replied evenly.

Their earlier conversation rose to the front of his mind. _So down deep, you want to kill me._

_Yes. I do._

"She will not harm you," Cameron continued. "That's not her mission."

_I'm not her mission. _He scoffed. "Oh really? How am I supposed to be believe that? How can I know that?"

"You can't," Cameron replied softly. "You just have to trust me."

His anger slowly faded as he realized he _did _trust her. She had plenty of opportunities to kill him. She didn't. She _understood _that she was a threat, that her mission priorities hadn't been erased, just programmed over. She'd given him the kill necklace, a way for him to destroy her if she became a threat.

Because there was a part of her that still wanted to kill him.

But there was a part of her, the dominant part right now, that _didn't _want to kill him. She claimed her words to be true, she claimed to feel, to love. And he believed her. Derek and Sarah may not have believed her, but he did.

He trusted her.

"John, it's time to go," she repeated.

"Go where?" he asked.

"You know," she replied easily. He did know. They'd be running again. Anywhere. Just like his mother had told them in the message.

_You are to make sure he does. _Cameron would do that. John lowered his eyes to the floor.

That was the way his life was. He was born to run. Always running. But he was also supposed to lead mankind in the war against the machines. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he wasn't born to run.

Maybe he was born to fight.

"I can't leave her," he whispered.

"Your mother ordered--"

"You don't take orders from my mother," John said stubbornly. "You take them from me."

Cameron was silent for a moment.

"But I'm not giving you an order," John replied. "I'm _asking _you. Please…help me get her back. I can't do it without you."

Cameron cocked her head. "You're giving me the choice?"

John hesitated. He wasn't entirely sure what her answer would be. "I didn't mean what I said. About you just being a machine. You're…much more than that. I won't make you do anything. It's your choice."

He drew in a deep breath. "If you chose to leave, we leave. I won't argue." He hesitated, watching her hanging onto his every word. "But…if you love me…if you care about me at all, if you feel anything about me…please, please help me get her out. I've lost everyone else. Charlie, Derek. I can't lose her too."

Cameron stared into his eyes and he could almost tell the exact moment when she made her decision. She stood up and walked over to the desk, starting to gather their belongings.

"We're leaving," she stated.

John felt his hope slowly fade. That was it. He'd promised. He'd taken the chance. It had killed him.

Cameron's gun cocked and his eyes darted up to her.

"But first we're going after Sarah Connor."

His eyes widened and he leaped off the bed, a broad grin stretching out across his face. "Thank you, Cameron."

She smiled back.

***********

John drove up in front of the jail, searching through the crowd of orange for any sign of his mother and Cameron. He could hear the screaming and shouting coming from inside the building. Cameron must have let all the inmates out to provide a distraction. He suppressed a smile. _Clever, Cam. _

Finally he saw them coming up the walk and his breath caught in his throat. Cameron looked awful. He only caught a brief glimpse before he wrenched his eyes back to the road, driving straight through the gates.

Beside him, his mother was livid. "I sent you a message! I told you---"

"Yeah, bad John Connor, ground me," he retorted. He didn't regret his decision. He turned around to regard Cameron, wincing at the damage she'd taken. Half of her face had been blown off, one red eye showing through the metal. Her entire jacket was ripped and bloodied with bullet holes. All because of him. Because he'd convinced her to go against his mother. Because she loved him.

_I'm so sorry, Cameron._

"Are you okay?" he asked, worry in his voice.

He saw her from his rearview mirror, the jerky movement as she moved her head. "I am not one hundred percent."

Sarah turned around. "How far from one hundred percent are you?"

Cameron's head jerked toward her. John's eyes flashed from Sarah back to Cameron, eyes widening. "Why?" Sarah wasn't suggesting Cameron was damaged beyond repair right? Did she think Cameron would go haywire again?

"Because I need to meet Catherine Weaver," Sarah replied coolly. "And she needs to destroy whatever's in that basement."

John tried not to react to Weaver's name, glancing back at Cameron. She was looking forward, then to the floor, all in erratic movements. He felt a pang of remorse.

She was damaged. She was no longer the fully functional cyborg he'd been so close to in the hotel room, the one who'd smiled with soft eyes gazing at him. She was damaged.

All because of him.

_I'll fix you, Cam, _he promised. _As soon as this is over, I swear, I'll fix you._

***********

He sat on the sofa of Weaver's house, next to his mother, his mind spinning. _Weaver's a Terminator. I'm going in to meet a Terminator. _It was bizarre, beyond belief. He hadn't told his mother yet. He wasn't sure he ever would.

"I really wish we weren't here now," he muttered.

"Savannah could tell them we know about Cromartie," Sarah replied.

_No not Cromartie. _"John Henry now."

"Metal," Sarah amended. "If she tells them, they'll move it. Maybe they already have."

"Well, we'll know soon enough," he replied edgily. Only about a minute later, a DING announced the elevator's arrival and Ellison walked out. John rose to his feet beside his mother, his mouth suddenly dry.

If Cameron was wrong…they'd be walking straight into a trap. There would be no escape. He was staking both his and his mother's lives on his trust in Cameron. And there was a chance that he'd made the wrong choice.

He swallowed hard, casting a glance over at Sarah, his voice hoarse as he whispered, "I love you."

_And if this goes wrong…I'm so sorry..._

***********

John stood in front of Catherine Weaver, the Terminator, trying not to appear nervous. Without Cameron's warning, he might never have known she was metal. She'd fooled everyone, Ellison, Savannah, even his mother at the moment.

"So, why are we here?" Weaver asked.

Sarah spoke up. "We need –"

"Let me restate," Weaver interrupted. "We are here first and foremost so that I can thank you for you heroism regarding my daughter Savannah. She's the light of my life and I'd be lost without her."

John resisted the urge to curl his lip. _She isn't your daughter. You're a machine. _

"Where is she?" Sarah demanded to know.

"At school," Weaver replied calmly before getting straight to the point. _True Terminator fashion, _John thought. "We have a common enemy. One we cannot fight with conventional weapons or by conventional means."

"Kaliba?" Sarah questioned. "Don't presume to know Kaliba."

Weaver's eyes glared at her, though she put on a small smile. "I'm sorry. I wasn't speaking to you." She shifted her eyes back to John. "I was speaking to you. About Skynet."

He saw his mother look over, no doubt expecting some kind of surprised reaction, but he didn't flinch. He'd known this was coming. Cameron had been right.

Weaver had a different mission.

"Savannah's told you about John Henry I presume," Weaver said edgily. "Which is why your cyborg is skulking around my basement."

Before he could defend Cameron's current actions, Ellison let out surprised curse and John jerked his head up to see something flying towards the window. His eyes widened.

It was the hovercraft from the pond, the one Derek had called an HK.

Weaver turned back around, face blank. "Get down."

Sarah yanked him down to the floor, shielding him, and John heard the window shatter, the explosion. His eyes trailed up to see Weaver, her liquid metal body forming a shield between him and the fire. He could feel the searing heat above and beside him, but Weaver's body was blocking the rest of the flames from reaching them.

"Run," Weaver ordered.

John didn't waste any time. Sarah dragged him to his feet and they ran for the staircase, dodging the small explosions in the hallway. Weaver was not far behind them.

"The basement," she stated. "Mr. Ellison. John Henry."

"We need to get out," Sarah insisted. "They're trying to kill my son."

"No, they're trying to kill my son," Weaver replied calmly. "Just like you are."

"I'm sure she's already done it," Sarah shot back.

"You better hope not," Weaver replied in a cold monotone. "Your John may save the world, but he can't do it without mine."

She continued down the stairs and John exchanged a confused look with his mother before following. As they reached the end, John saw the unconscious security guard and his pace quickened, feeling a sense of urgency. What if Cameron wasn't able to kill John Henry? What if she had been too badly damaged in the breakout?

He charged forward, ahead of his mother, ahead of Weaver. As he burst through the door first, he halted suddenly, his eyes widening in shock and fear.

Cameron sat in the chair, completely still, her eyes dead and unfocused. His mind was screaming. _Nononono!_

He rushed to her side, pulling back her hair and skin to see the port where her chip was. Where it usually was.

"Her chip, it's gone." _NO! This can't be happening! _He fought against the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. His eyes desperately searched the table, spotting Cameron's bloodied knife.

"Where is he?" he shouted. "The-th-th-John Henry!" he stuttered. "He took her chip! Where did he go?" He was aware he was shouting, his voice edged with fear. _I'll kill him! I'll kill him! _

Weaver slowly approached, glancing at the knife, at Cameron's unmoving body. "He didn't take the chip. She gave it to him."

_Wha—_

"John," Sarah said softly, nodding to something behind him.

He turned, not knowing what to expect. What he saw was a computer screen that kept flashing words, Cameron's words:

I'M SORRY JOHN.

I'M SORRY JOHN.

I'M SORRY JOHN.

I'M SORRY JOHN.

John could feel the tears coming. _Why, Cameron? Why did you do that? _His whole world was suddenly crashing down. He never got to say goodbye to her, never got to tell her how he felt, never got to kiss her...

"Where is he?"

"Not where," Weaver replied. "When."

John saw Ellison frown from the doorway. "What? What do you mean when?"

_Time machine… _John realized with shock.

"I know that," Sarah said, her eyes locked on a computer piece in the central hub. "I've seen it before."

John turned around, his eyes widening. "Is that the Turk? That's Andy Goode's Turk!"

"Three dots," Sarah whispered. John looked back. Sure enough, there were three red dots on the machine. Weaver was programming something into a computer that looked similar to the one Cameron had used in the bank vault…to time jump.

_We're going to find John Henry. We're going to save Cameron. _He was vaguely aware of his mother going off on Weaver.

"You're building Skynet!" Sarah accused, her voice hard with rage.

"No I was building something to fight it," Weaver replied.

_Will you join us? _

John squeezed his eyes shut before glancing once more at Cameron's lifeless body. He hated seeing her like this. He turned to the screen again, saw the words: I'M SORRY JOHN.

He could almost hear her voice saying those words, in the same pleading tone she'd used when she'd been begging for her life, apologizing for trying to kill him.

"Coming, James?" Weaver asked.

Ellison furrowed his brow. "Coming?"

"After John Henry," Weaver replied with a smile. "Our boy."

Ellison slowly shook his head, backing away. "He's not my boy. And you…you're…"

"Do you mind picking up Savannah then?" Weaver interrupted, her voice still pleasant. "Gymnastics ends at five-thirty."

John jumped, startled, as the first of the electrical surges began. His eyes flashed from the computer which started ticking down from twenty seconds to his mother, who slowly started shaking her head back and forth.

"John, we can't," she protested, backing up a step.

_No! We have to! We have to save her! _He heard his voice break. "He's got her chip."

Sarah continued backing away and John could feel the tears welling in his eyes. His throat constricted and he found it nearly impossible to breathe.

"He's got _her_," he choked tearfully.

The bubble began to form around them and Sarah stepped back, out of the circle. "Mom," John pleaded. Her image began to blur blue as the bubble thickened.

"I'll stop it," she promised.

He felt a deep sense of loss as his mom backed away from view. Right before the jump, his eyes darted from Cameron's limp body to the screen where her words had been repeating.

I'M SORRY JOHN.

I'M SORRY JOHN.

I LOVE YOU JOHN.

His breath caught in his throat and he turned to stare down at Cameron's body, eyes watering.

And then he saw nothing, only darkness. Suddenly, he was standing in some kind of concrete tunnel, completely naked, shivering in the cold. He slowly rose to his feet, glancing around. Small fires still burned in a ring around them, but beyond that…

It was dark.

Rubble was everywhere. Dirt and dust. The only light was from the dim lights of the tunnel.

He'd often imagined what the future after Judgment Day would be like. But he'd never imagined it would be like this. He turned around, met Weaver's eyes for a brief second and looked back at the tunnel.

_John Henry's here somewhere. With Cameron's chip. _

He glanced over at Weaver again, seeing that she now had clothes. _Liquid metal. Must be nice. _

He looked down, expecting to see Cameron's body lying there. Instead, he saw nothing. A terrible fear settled in his stomach.

"Where's Cameron?" he asked. "Where's her body?"

"It doesn't go through," Weaver replied calmly.

_Doesn't go through. _John could have sworn his heart stopped. He'd just killed her. Her body had been vaporized in the jump. _No_…

He jumped at a noise. Human voices coming closer, dogs barking. His eyes scanned the room, finally spotting a coat lying on top of a rickety cot. John quickly grabbed it and wrapped it around himself tightly, trying to keep in his body heat.

He saw the beam of a flashlight and ducked as a couple of soldiers and dogs passed by. For a moment, he considered showing himself, but decided against it. He didn't know where he was, he didn't know when he was.

He didn't really know anything at all.

After they had passed, he quietly walked to the main tunnel, checking once to make sure Weaver was following before entering the open.

A shadowy figure appeared in front of him, gun raised. "Got one!" the man shouted. "Got one!"

John quickly raised his hands in the air. "One what? What?" The man didn't seem like a Terminator, but John couldn't be sure. He checked behind, startled to find Weaver missing.

Where had she gone? He spun back to the soldier, who was advancing, never lowering his weapon.

"Please," John whispered. "I'm not metal."

"Don't move," the soldier ordered in a low voice. He was in the light enough for John to now see that he was Japanese. "Don't move!"

"Please! I swear, I haven't got anything! I-I'm human!" he pleaded. The soldier _had _to believe him. He _had _to get out of here, to find John Henry, to save Cameron.

Suddenly his entire life was looking bleak.

"Cause I _will _blast you!" the Japanese soldier threatened.

Someone else came from behind. "Stand down!" the new voice ordered. As the figure stepped past the Japanese soldier, John's eyes widened in shock.

Derek.

Derek Reese.

John felt the corner of his mouth twitch up into a smile. Derek was alive! Derek was here, now! Finally, things seemed to be looking up.

Derek stepped forward, staring at John, eyes squinting as if studying him. Finally Derek grinned and looked back at his companion. "Look at his eyes. He's got about as much metal in him as you do."

"Derek…" John breathed, his smile widening.

To his surprise, Derek merely stared back, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

_He doesn't recognize me…_

"John," he provided. Derek's eyes showed no recognition and slowly John's joy began to fade. "J-John Connor."

Derek shook his head. "I know a lot of people, kid. Don't know you." John could feel his face crumbling as Derek turned to his companion. "Anybody heard the name John Connor?"

The Japanese soldier shook his head and John's eyes betrayed his disbelief. _Never heard of John Connor…_

Something clicked in his mind and he suddenly felt sick. He'd time-jumped. He'd skipped Judgment Day. John Connor didn't exist to these people. John Connor had disappeared the day he went to see Weaver. John Connor wasn't there on Judgment Day to lead the humans.

John Connor wasn't their savior.

He glanced down at the floor, trying to contain his shock. _It's like I don't even exist…_

Derek turned back to him. "You know what? I think you're gonna be famous."

John forced a smile. _I _was _famous. I was John Connor. _

Pride shone in Derek's eyes and a smile lit his face. "My brother's back and you're wearing his coat." He looked over John's shoulder.

John turned, letting out his breath slowly as Kyle Reese entered. _My father…_John couldn't breathe. Kyle stopped when he spotted John and for a moment John was almost sure Kyle knew who he was. Or maybe he was just curious as to who the new recruit was and why they looked so much alike.

But John didn't care. He was looking at his father for the first time, the hero, the soldier from the future who would save the life of his mother. He didn't even care that he was staring, drinking in the sight of the father he never knew.

Then something caught his eye, someone else coming in behind Kyle, her eyes cast downward, but a happy smile on her face.

His heart nearly stopped.

_Cameron. Oh, Cameron. _

She hadn't looked up yet, crouching down next to the German Shepherd dog that was sitting at Kyle's side, a radiant smile on her face.

He almost whispered her name, almost ran to her side, ready to tell her how sorry he was, how much he loved her. But something stopped him.

There was something different about her. The way she was petting the dog that wasn't barking a warning, the bouncing, graceful way she moved, the way she flipped her hair back out of her face. Cameron didn't do that.

This wasn't his Cameron. This wasn't the Cameron who had professed love for him, the Cameron who had come into his room late at night, lying down beside him. The Cameron who had been jealous of his girlfriend Riley, the Cameron he was frantic to save, frantic enough to time travel to this devastating future to get her back, the Cameron he loved desperately.

His smile faded slowly as the realization set in. And his heart broke all over again.

This wasn't his Cameron.

This wasn't Cameron at all.

He could see it in her eyes. She had Cameron's beautiful brown eyes, but there was something different in them. Life. Her eyes danced, the only ray of light in the dark future he'd landed in. This girl wasn't Cameron. She was human.

_My name's Allison. From Palmdale._

Could _this _be who Cameron had been talking about? The human girl her model was based on? Allison from Palmdale.

She looked up to see him staring and her joyful smile slowly faded into confusion, curiosity even. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't look away, couldn't stop taking in the sight of her.

He glanced back at Derek, at Kyle. He had received no recognition anywhere. At first, he'd felt as if he'd died and gone to heaven, being reunited with all his dead loved ones – Derek, Kyle, Cameron. He swallowed the lump in his throat. But the longer he stayed the more he realized that this was not his family. These were not the people he knew and loved. His Cameron, his Derek were still dead.

He was among strangers.

Strangers who looked and sounded like and _were _the people he loved. He could feel the tears forming and his vision began to blur. He didn't belong here. He didn't belong anywhere. More than anything, he desperately wished for the real Cameron, the Cameron who remembered him, who _loved _him. The sobs started slowly and he sunk to the floor, covering his face with his hands.

He didn't expect anyone to comfort him. They wouldn't understand. They were soldiers now, battle-hardened by the war. They'd grieved the loss of their loved ones on Judgment Day.

But John Connor had just lost his today.

He was surprised to feel a gentle hand on his shoulder and he looked up through tear-stained eyes to see Cameron--no, Allison--crouching beside him, her eyes soft and kind. She wasn't like the others. She wasn't a soldier. Not yet. Not truly. She was young, just like him. Just like Cameron.

The sight of her standing over him almost made him cry even more. It was _her. _Cameron's hands gently stroking his hair, Cameron's eyes staring into his soul, her soft voice whispering words of comfort.

How could this _not _be Cameron?

He could pretend; he could probably even convince himself. But despite the appearances, despite everything about her, this wasn't the girl he loved. Allison didn't know him, didn't love him. Allison was a completely different person inside the body of someone he knew and loved. It may as well have been another chip placed inside Cameron's body. It would never be Cameron.

"What's your name?"

It caught him off guard as he realized it was the very first thing Cameron had said to him too, the same tone, the same voice.

A tear slid down his cheek as he replied, "John. John Connor."

Allison smiled, bright and wide, just as Cameron had. "Allison."

He kept staring, eyes brimming, with her merely smiling at him. So human…yet so much like Cameron. "I have a feeling we're going to be great friends," Allison said, her brilliant smile so genuine and kind.

And maybe they could be. This was a new future, a new life. No more running. He was born to fight, and that's exactly what he'd do. Never stop fighting.

He'd find John Henry. He'd take back Cameron's chip. He'd rebuild her body if he had to. _I'll do whatever it takes to save you, Cameron._

If he had any say in the matter…

She'd be back.


	2. Born in the Past

_author's note: Okay, so I was originally just making this a oneshot, but in all the reviews you guys asked me to continue and after thinking about it I have some good ideas for a multi-chapter fic that will bring John full-circle. So here is part 2._

**Chapter Two:**

**Born in the Past**

John didn't know how long he'd sat there, curled up on the floor, letting the tears flow for the first time since he could remember. He wasn't sure why she felt the need, but Allison remained dutifully at his side, stroking his hair comfortingly.

When John finally raised his head, he realized that the rest of the crowd had dispersed, leaving only him, Allison, and Kyle in the bunker hallway. John stared up into the face of his father, eyes red from too many tears.

_Even when he was ranting about the machines, he always had the kindest eyes… _His mother was right. He could see that now. Kyle's eyes were kind, compassionate, loving.

"Allison," Kyle said in a soft, but authoritative voice. Allison gracefully leaped up from John's side and walked over to Kyle, eyes staring at him curiously.

"He seems to relax around you," Kyle murmured softly, though John could still hear him fairly well. "Why don't you take him to one of the empty bunks. The kid looks like he's had a hard day."

Allison nodded somberly. "It almost seems like he's just finally realized what's happened." She frowned, puzzled. "But how could that be? The war's been going on for thirteen years."

John tried to mentally calculate that. Judgment Day was 2011. _That must mean the year is 2024. Unless Mom was able to delay it again. _Then again, Allison didn't look any older than him.

Kyle's tone dropped even lower and John strained to hear. "I don't know, but try to see what you can get out of him. He's definitely hiding something. We need to know what that is."

Allison seemed skeptical about Kyle's suspicion. "You already know he's not a metal. He's just a kid, _my _age."

"The Grays can be anyone," Kyle responded somberly. "Remember what happened to my brother? They were experimenting on him, teaching the machines how to act more human." His face twisted in disgust. "Connor's not a Terminator, but there are worse things out there. Grays are traitors. Imagine what would happen if they got someone on the inside?"

Allison nodded slowly. "I'll see what I can do. But I really don't think he's one of them. He seems…different somehow."

Kyle smiles sadly. "You never like to assume the worst in anyone, do you?"

Allison smiled brightly. "Someone has to keep the optimism alive in this dump."

"Just do what you can for him."

Allison saluted. "Aye, aye, General Reese!"

John's eyes widened. Kyle didn't make any move to correct her, so he assumed the title must be correct. _Wow, _John thought incredulously. _My father's a general. _

Allison walked back over to him, smiling that familiar smile he knew and loved. "Let's go get you a room." Her eyes skimmed over Kyle's long jacket that John had kept wrapped close to his cold body. "And some clothes," she added.

He followed her, his heart beating rapidly. It _killed _him to be near her, to look at her face and know that it wasn't Cameron under there. Every time she glanced back at him with a pleasant grin, he felt a fresh stab of pain that he tried to hide behind a forced smile.

A small part of him hated her for doing this to him, for torturing him like this. And yet, another part found he couldn't be angry with her. Not only could he not bear to hate anyone with Cameron's face, he found that Allison was actually an extremely likable person, kind and caring with a good sense of humor. He would have thought such a person would be hard to find in the future.

"Here you go," Allison said, leading him into a small, dark room not much bigger than a walk-in closet. It smelled faintly of mold, sewers, and wet dog, which he found to be a very unpleasant combination. The cot itself was pretty worn and torn, barely big enough for someone even his size to fit on.

She seemed to be gauging his distasteful expression. "You're lucky," she put in helpfully. "A lot of people don't even have this. There are bunkers with almost all civilians, crowded in together like a can of sardines. Many of them are just tunnel rats, or 'rat-catchers' as they're called. Usually young people who barely get enough food to scrape by."

"Is this really much better?" John asked.

Allison shrugged. "We all live in tunnels. We eat garbage for breakfast."

"No, I mean, you seem awfully young to be a soldier," John replied. "Don't you think it'd be easier if you were a civilian?"

Allison shook her head. "I'm not too young. I'm seventeen. Three when J-Day happened. Kyle Reese found me and brought me here. He's kind of been like my father, you could say. It's not like they forced me to become a soldier. I chose this. I _want _to fight the machines. I _want _to stop Skynet."

John smiled slightly as he sat down on the bed. "I think we all do."

She observed him quietly, cocking her head to the side as she did. John felt his breath catch. In that moment, with her face impassive yet puzzled, she looked exactly like Cameron and he half expected her to speak something like "thank you for explaining." Then he realized the head tilt was obviously just one of Allison's habits, something Cameron had picked up on when they'd used Allison as a model.

"You're probably going to think I'm crazy for asking this, but what's going on with the war? What year is it?"

Allison cocked an eyebrow incredulously. "Have you been living under a rock for the past thirteen years?" She laughed good-naturedly. "Well, I guess we all have, huh?"

John resisted the urge to tell her the truth, that he'd really just arrived here from the past. He had a feeling she wouldn't believe him, no matter how open she seemed right now. He quickly reminded himself that she was under orders to fish for information from him for Kyle anyway. He would have to watch what he said.

"It's 2024," Allison supplied, confirming his earlier calculation. "How's the war?" Her smile turned bitter. "Well, the machines are winning, if that's what you want to know."

"Who's leading you?"

"Our bunker is led by Kyle," Allison replied with a sense of pride in her voice. "He's the General and he's the one who plans out all our missions."

"What about the other bunkers? The other resistance pockets?"

She frowned. "I don't know. We've joined up with several other groups we've found, but…there are still a lot more out there. I've often asked Kyle and Derek why we don't all band together, but…in order to do that we'd all have to be in the same area, or able to contact each other. We've tried sending scouts out to search for the other pockets of resistance fighters but none have ever returned. There's a huge Skynet T-888 factory right in between our two main forces."

"No one has tried to go around?"

"No one is _able _to go around," Allison replied. "The Triple 8's patrol a huge perimeter and we don't have the supplies or food rations to make a big detour to get around. No one would last out there." She frowned, though it seemed to be more out of curiosity than suspicion. "You seem to be very military minded."

"You have no idea," John replied dryly.

She glanced down for a moment, studying the cracks in the concrete floor before raising her eyes to meet his. "When you first saw me…you thought I was someone else didn't you?"

He could feel his heart thumping in his throat and he managed to choke out, "Yes."

"I could see it in your eyes," she said, her gaze containing a bit of sadness now. "Your smile. You had this look of pure joy and love on your face, but it faded into confusion and pain. I could see that."

John pressed his lips together tightly, trying to hold himself together. "You're very perceptive," he managed to get out through clenched teeth.

She tilted her head, studying him, and he tried to look away, finding himself unable to. _Oh, Cameron…_

He shut his eyes, trying to block out all of the day's events. Maybe it was all just a dream, a horribly realistic dream that he would soon wake up from, finding himself in the hotel room once more, Cameron lying on the bed beside him, contemplating how to get Sarah out of jail.

Oh, how he _wished _it was all just a dream.

When he finally opened his eyes, he saw her slowly retreating toward the door, her back to him, obviously believing him to be sleeping. _No, don't leave me…_

"Cameron!" he called out, his voice hoarse and desperate.

She turned around, eyes betraying her bewilderment. And he suddenly remembered that he most definitely wasn't in a dream, wasn't waking up from this nightmare.

"Allison," he whispered, cringing. "I'm sorry."

She didn't seem to take offense at the name mix-up, instead walking back over toward his bed and sitting down on the edge. John felt a shudder run through his entire body.

"Cameron," Allison repeated, her voice soft, caring. "Was she the girl you thought I was?"

John nodded weakly. "Yes…you…you're almost like twins. You know what they say, everyone has a double."

She frowned. "Who says that?"

He suddenly realized that she probably would never have heard a phrase like that. After all, she'd said she was only three years old when the world he remembered ended abruptly, thrusting everyone into a period of darkness, destruction, and death.

"Never mind," he replied.

Allison was silent for a moment before replying, "Did you love her?"

John's body seemed to freeze and he swallowed hard. "Yes," he said hoarsely. "I love her." It felt _good _to finally _say _those words. _Yes, I truly, deeply am in love with Cameron Phillips. _With the joy the words brought, he also felt an overwhelming sense of pain and loss. He'd never got the chance to tell Cameron those words. She'd told him…several times actually: when she'd been pleading for her life, when she'd spoken the words to him in Riley's voice over the phone, the final phrase he'd seen on the computer screen before he'd jumped.

She'd told him. But he'd never told her.

A sudden gunshot broke him out of his reverie and he heard footsteps stomping down the hall, Derek's recognizable voice shouting "Terminator!" Allison turned to John, her eyes widening with fear, but also determination.

She held out a hand. "You'd better come with me if you want to live."

John took the hand, fighting to keep the memory of Cameron from popping back to the forefront of his mind. If there was a terminator in the camp, he needed to be focused.

He also needed a weapon.

"Hey!" he shouted to Allison, running to keep up. "I need a gun!"

She didn't even slow down to respond. "No time for that now," she replied. "We don't have one for you."

John picked up his pace. "Do you have preparations for this kind of attack?"

Allison stared at him grimly. "Yeah, we hide the entrance really well and hope they don't find it."

They ran right into Kyle and Derek. Kyle sighed with relief upon their arrival. "It's in the East end now, but it's heading our way fast."

"What are you going to do?" John questioned.

"Get everyone out and moved to Depot 4," Derek replied easily. "This has happened before. We can't compete with Skynet's new models. They're more durable, virtually unstoppable. We blew one up a few weeks ago with explosives but now our supply is low. We've got to move out, move to the other tunnels, maybe set a trap there."

"Why not set a trap here?" John glanced up at the lights in the dim hallway. _Electricity. _"Do we have a bucket of water somewhere? A washroom?"

"Right there," Allison said, pointing, though her face still showed some confusion.

"We've tried that, kid," Derek said, his voice condescending. "It doesn't kill it. You electrocute these things, they only stay down for so long."

"One hundred twenty seconds to be exact," John replied quickly, to Derek's apparent surprise. "And that's all the time I need."

Allison looked stunned. "You're going to take on a Terminator by yourself?"

"Someone's gotta do it," John replied stubbornly. "And if we want to stop Skynet, we can't keep letting them gain confidence, we can't keep letting them win. We can't keep running. We have to fight."

Derek and Kyle exchanged a glance, and John finally just grabbed a bucket and a knife, heading down the hall by himself. His mind was whirling. How was the resistance even surviving this long?

Because they kept running, he answered himself. They kept building new tunnels, kept moving people. Running kept people alive, but it also kept Skynet alive. It kept the Terminators at the head of the war. He was sure Kyle and Derek did some missions where they fought the machines, but by the looks of all the soldiers John had run past, most of them seemed to have…given up hope.

The humans were divided and they would fall if they didn't come together, if they didn't rise up and fight. _Maybe I haven't messed up the future as much as I thought. Maybe I can still fulfill my destiny and unite the resistance. _

John heard the clanking footsteps down the hallway and knew he had little time. _This better work_, he thought to himself grimly, cutting through the electrical cord with the knife and pulling it behind the corner, careful to keep the live end from touching him. As soon as the Terminator was close, John threw the live wire at its feet and dumped the bucket of water, diving for cover behind the wall. When he poked his head out, he saw the machine twitching uncontrollably from the electrical pulse before dropping heavily to the floor.

John darted to its side, flicking open the pocket knife and slicing into the head expertly. He'd done this so many times he knew exactly where to cut. Finally, John pulled the flap of skin back, and pulled out the chip, breathing a sigh of relief.

_Skynet must not have released the better models yet. This one, luckily, wasn't smart enough to figure out that I was coming. _That could also be how the ragtag resistance had lasted so long.

John came back to find Derek, Kyle, and Allison waiting to give the evacuation order. They all looked surprised and amazed to see John alive and well.

Allison ran up to him. "What happened? Did you…did you kill it?"

John held up the chip and she stared at it, confused. "What's that?"

John's eyes widened. "It's the chip. The core, the processor. It's the brain, the only truly irreplaceable part of the machine. Without the chip, the Terminator is dead."

Derek stormed forward, eyes narrowed. "Then destroy the chip."

John's hand curled around it. "No, we need it. We need to find out what this thing's mission was."

"I think we know that," Derek responded irritably.

"I mean where it came from, who it's reporting to…" _I also need to learn how to reprogram…_

Kyle was staring at John with suspicious eyes. "Who are you? Where are you from?"

John took a deep breath. "My name is John Connor. I'm from the past. I time-traveled here from 2009 to stop Skynet." _And find Cameron's chip. "_A Terminator had been sent back to kill me…several times actually."

"You?" Allison asked with a frown. "Why you?"

"Because in the original timeline, or maybe it's still true," he mused. "But I'm supposed to become the leader of the resistance, the one who stops Skynet."

Derek let out a loud, incredulous laugh. "You? Ha! Listen, kid…"

"I _know_ things," John interrupted angrily. "I know these things."

"He did take down that Terminator pretty quick," Allison pointed out. "So what does that prove?"

"It proves he's suicidal," Derek shot back.

"It proves I know what I'm doing," John countered. "I'm not from here. I was born in 1984, time-traveled from 1999 to 2007 and then from 2009 to here. Technically, this is my fortieth birthday, I've just time-traveled over half of them. I've been training my entire life. I've been on the run. I know how these things work, how they think. I know how to kill them, to destroy them. You have to listen to me."

Derek chuckled. "Yes, O great leader."

John didn't miss the angry look Allison sent the older Reese brother. Kyle still seemed skeptical, but a little more open to the possibility. John decided it was best not to mention their father-son connection.

"Have you seen a T-1000 yet?" he asked instead.

"A what?" Kyle questioned.

"Liquid metal," John explained.

"No," Allison replied.

"You will."

"Liquid metal? What is that?" Kyle asked.

"One was sent to kill me when I was thirteen," John began. "Bullets don't hurt them. Electricity doesn't bother them. It was one heck of dogfight trying to take it down. It's unstoppable. Capable of taking any form, liquid, human, the face of an ally. We froze the thing, shattered it into pieces, and it still came back together, like magnetically or something."

Allison's eyes had grown wider during his story. He took that as a good sign. It probably meant she believed him. "How did you kill it?" she asked.

"We burned it," John replied. "At an ridiculously high temperature." He glanced back down the hall at the Terminator. "Have you ever captured one of these?"

"A Terminator?" Kyle asked.

"This isn't a prison camp, kid," Derek snorted.

"No, it's not," John agreed. "You set a trap, wire a door into the electricity, bucket of water and electrical wire."

"You're insane," Derek said, shaking his head.

"No," John replied. "I'm John Connor. Trust me," he sighed, thinking about Weaver, John Henry, the T-1000, the TDE…

He shook his head sorrowfully. "Things are gonna get much, much worse."

"And I thought things were bad enough already," Derek murmured sulkily. "What with the Grays and the _human _Terminators. We can't keep running like this, Kyle."

"What's going on with the resistance?" John questioned. "Why aren't you all fighting?"

Kyle and Derek both exchanged a pointed glance before Kyle looked back at John. "I guess we should start from the beginning."

Derek took over. "I was sixteen years old when Judgment Day happened. Me and Kyle were playing baseball in the front yard. I was teaching him how to hit properly. And that's when we saw it. 'Fireworks' he said. The Skynet missile defense system had launched an attack. I took Kyle and we fled underground." He laughed bitterly. "How do you tell an eight year old machines have taken over the world?" He shook his head before answering his own question. "You don't."

John swallowed hard, trying to conceal his emotions. He'd heard Derek tell this story before, in almost exactly the same way, but without that trace of sadness. John knew why. _This _Derek still had Kyle. His Derek didn't. "What did you do?" John asked.

"We hid," Derek replied with a casual shrug. "There were these tunnels underneath City Hall, built during the Cold War. We stayed there, getting whatever food we could. We tried hunting deer but…" John didn't miss the sideways glance Derek shot at Kyle. "…couldn't eat it." John looked down at the floor, remembering that story as well, how his father had started crying when Derek had killed the deer, how they'd gone hungry that night.

"When he was old enough, I eventually explained everything. We met up with some other survivors and stayed hidden until one day Skynet found us."

Kyle picked up the story. "I was twelve when I was taken to Century Work Camp. Me and several other humans were their prisoners, forced to work, barely fed, tortured."

John cast a quick glance at Derek. "You too?"

"No. I escaped before they got me, but I couldn't save Kyle. After that, I started searching, finding small bands of resistance fighters camping out underground. I convinced a big group of them to go attack Century Work Camp, free Kyle and the others. It ended…" Derek winced, his face showing his grief and guilt. "…badly. We were captured. Not by Terminators but by the Grays, traitors, humans working for the machines."

John had heard the term before, of course, but he'd never really understood it. "Why would there be humans serving Skynet?"

Derek shrugged bitterly. "Skynet offered them a place to stay, food to eat, a _life _in exchange for their work. I guess that was motivation enough for some to betray their species. Some were just environmentalist nutjobs who felt that human life was destroying the earth and therefore the humans needed to be destroyed."

"But they're humans, too," John protested, thoroughly confused.

"That's the best part," Derek replied. "When everyone else was gone, they'd allow Skynet to kill them in order to _save the earth._" He let out a dry laugh. "Stupid. There was one Gray, the worst of them, Charles Fischer. He's the one who began interrogating us, torturing us while the machines looked on, watching, _learning _how to appear human. Only a few of us survived. There was this one guy I was with, Arnold with the funny last name. They took him somewhere special and worked on him. I finally escaped and returned to the resistance. Only a day later, Arnold appears again, but he seems different somehow. He walks up to the commander and says 'hasta la vista baby' in Arnold's exact voice, his accent, his _words_. But then Arnold raises his gun and shoots the commander at point blank range. One of the other soldiers yells and blows a hole in Arnold's head."

Derek shook his head sadly. "That's when we all realize it's a metal. They'd used Arnold as a model to start creating skin. It looked and felt real, heck, it _was _real. Organic tissue over a metal endoskeleton. True cyborg. Well, as you can imagine, after that, we all got extremely cautious. These things could probably be made to look like anyone. It's only been like this for a few years. Some of us, like the one you met earlier when you arrived, are still a little jumpy. But who can blame them?"

_Uncle Bob, _John realized. This Arnold with the funny name was the template used for the Uncle Bob T-850 Terminator.

"Only a few months later," Kyle cut in again. "After spending six years in Century Work Camp, me and a bunch of other soldiers broke out."

"He was nineteen at the time," Derek added with a proud smile. "But he was hailed a hero. Not long after that, he sort of became the unofficial General of the Resistance, bringing together a bunch of soldiers under one command, spread out in different bunkers."

"We tried to locate the others," Kyle's said. "But our raiding party ran into a Skynet Triple 8 facility in between. They were killed immediately and the Terminators put their heads on pikes for us to see, as a warning. Everyone seems to have lost their confidence now. They know we can't compete with the machines, and they've all lost hope. So we run, and, occasionally, we fight."

John glanced over at Allison, trying to process all the information he'd been given. "So how'd they find you?"

"I don't really remember much," Allison replied, a frown crossing her features as she searched her memory. "I was three when J-Day happened, I already told you that. There was this girl, probably not much older than nineteen. Lauren Fields. She found me and saved me, even though she had her own little sister to take care of too. When I was about 13, we heard about the Century Work Camp Breakout. Lauren brought both me and Sydney here and Kyle took me in, though he really wouldn't let me start fighting at all till this year."

Kyle simply shrugged while giving her a fatherly smile. Allison grinned back.

"And Lauren?" John prodded. The name had sounded familiar. Was she the one on the list? The one his mother had saved?

"She's a medic for us," Allison replied. "One of the best."

Now that he knew the whole story, John finally understood what was going on. The Resistance's hope had faded, their confidence had been shattered by all of Skynet's forces: the devastation of Judgment Day, the horrifying Century Work Camp, and the new Terminator skin sheaths where there had previously only been metal set people on high alert, knowing that a machine could show up looking like anyone, a regular human, your friend, your ally. And, of course, the Triple 8 facility that had popped up right between the two largest resistance forces effectively split Skynet's enemies in two.

_I still have a job to do here, _John realized, clenching his fist tightly. _I can set everything right once more. Today is the day._

_No fate but what I make._

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

_NEXT: Weaver's return sends John on a mission that will help him earn the respect of the resistance and the position as their leader once more. _

_Okay, so the next chapter will be a lot more action, and I did have a question: does anyone know the name of the weapon Jesse used to kill Queeg? I wanted to use it the next chapter, but I didn't know what it was called and I couldn't find it anywhere online. Anybody got a clue? Or a really high-tech futuristic name that sounds fitting? :)_


	3. Born to Watch

_author's note: First of all, thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially those of you who gave me the name of Jesse's weapon. Well, I'm glad you guys are enjoying it so far. I'm certainly having fun writing it, though there's a lot more research involved. I've had to rewatch episodes and the movies to figure out the timeline of events and how the future is portrayed. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter as well._

**Chapter Three:**

**Born to Watch**

John Connor leaned back on his cot, sighing heavily. His mind was still whirling with questions that had been raised ever since his time jump. The biggest one, of course, being how to find John Henry and Cameron's chip. That was his top priority, the reason he'd followed Weaver to the future in the first place.

_I came across time for you, Cameron. I love you._

The second question, and almost just as urgent, was how to convince Kyle and Derek that he was telling the truth. And not only that, but how to become this future's leader and bring hope back into the shattered resistance.

Something shiny and metallic dropped from the light fixture above his bed and he recoiled backwards, up against the wall, watching with surprise as the metal blob pooled on the floor and materialized into the form of Weaver. Once John got past the initial shock, a sudden anger started to build as he recalled that Weaver had deserted him when they'd arrived.

"Where did you go?" he demanded. Had he been wrong to trust her? Was she secretly working with Skynet? Had his mother been right all along?

"I was hiding," Weaver replied simply. "The resistance certainly would not have let you live if you had been seen traveling with a machine. That hasn't happened yet."

John frowned, brow furrowed. "What hasn't?"

"You, reprogramming the machines and keeping them in your camps."

John uncurled his fist and looked down at the chip in his hand, the chip he'd taken from the fallen Triple 8 in camp. _How do I know when to start? _He had to make sure he was able to fix Cameron when the time came and his own words came back to him: _Skynet must not want me reprogramming in the future._

"I can't start yet," he said quietly. "Not until I get her back." He couldn't take any chances.

Weaver stared at him curiously, as if wondering where this crazy idea was coming from. "You put yourself at a disadvantage."

"No," John repeated firmly, confidence growing the more he thought about it. "This is how it's supposed to be. When I was in 2009, a Terminator was sent for Dr. Sherman. Cameron defeated it, but when I examined the chip, it had self destructed."

John paused, holding up the Triple 8 CPU. "Sometime after I start reprogramming, Skynet realizes what I'm capable of and tries to stop me by making these self destructing chips. If I reprogram now, by the time Cameron shows up again…her chip may be one that self destructs…" He felt sick even thinking about it and shook his head adamantly. "No, everything has to happen the way it's supposed to. Maybe Cameron was the first I reprogrammed in the original timeline. And Cameron will be the first now too."

"Speaking of everything happening as it's supposed to," Weaver began. "You must find the other humans and unite the resistance. In order to get the timeline back on track, and eventually win the war, you must become the leader of the resistance."

"Why me?" he muttered. "I'm sure Kyle and Derek could be just as good a leader as I could."

"No," Weaver said, her tone firm and commanding. "It _has _to be you. You'll understand later."

He wasn't sure he wanted to know. "But Kyle and Derek are soldiers," John protested. "They've been fighting for years. They're not gonna suddenly turn tail and take orders from a kid. I doubt they even believed my story. Heck, _I _wouldn't have believed my story."

"Not everyone has to believe you," Weaver responded mysteriously.

John's mind instantly flashed to Allison, as Weaver had intended, and he shook his head clear of her image. "How?"

"I presume you've been told about the Triple 8 facility that Skynet has set up," Weaver stated. At John's confirmation nod, she continued. "As you know, it's a dangerous barrier between Kyle's resistance and the other humans. Destroy it and unite them."

John gave a dry laugh. How much more vague could she get? That was like telling some rich tycoon from the city "this is a cow, milk it." He knew the problem, he just didn't know _how_ to accomplish it. "Okay. How do I do that?"

"I'll help you," Weaver said with a pleasant smile. "I'll be a…distraction for the machines. Even John Henry could be of assistance."

At that name, John's jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. John Henry was the reason he was here; the reason Cameron was dead. "Whose side is John Henry on?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Peace," Weaver replied simply. "Like I told your mother, I was building something to fight Skynet. You might win the war, but you can't do it without John Henry. He came to establish a faction of machines who don't want the humans eliminated. They don't want Skynet to destroy everyone. They want to live in harmony."

It didn't matter if John Henry was somehow fighting against Skynet. "I'm going to find him," John promised darkly. "He has her chip."

"You will meet John Henry soon enough," Weaver responded calmly, not bothered by his threat in the slightest. "And you will see her again. But first, you must fulfill your destiny. Become John Connor, the leader, once more."

John took a deep breath, some of his anger dissipating. Weaver was right, he knew that. He still had a job to do. It was the only thing he _could _do. Because Cameron's body was gone anyway. Even if he got her chip back, he wouldn't have anywhere to put it until the Cameron from _this _timeline showed up. And she wouldn't…unless he became the leader like he was supposed to.

"What happened to my mother?" he asked softly. "She obviously couldn't stop this, but did she…" He hesitated, fearing the answer, but needing to know nonetheless. "Did she survive?"

"Sarah Connor died two years after Judgment Day. Cancer."

John swallowed hard. So Cameron had been right. Sarah really _was _sick. His mother hadn't even been given the opportunity to go out fighting. She would have hated that.

Weaver stared at him. "I'm sure she stockpiled weapons for your use. She knew where you jumped. She would have prepared a safehouse somewhere, perhaps?"

John's eyes lit up with recognition. "The desert safehouse! It's underground in a location we knew wouldn't get hit by the bombs. Actually, it shouldn't be that far away, though finding it could be a problem with a lot of the landmarks gone. But it's just a little detour on the way to the T-888 factory." A plan suddenly began forming. "She's got a ton of C4 in there. I could blow the Triple 8 factory just like Cyberdyne. She may even have been able to get ahold of some new weapons."

Weaver smiled at his growing enthusiasm. "Good. Get the job done."

*********

While waiting for the safety of night, John started gathering some supplies for his journey. Derek and Kyle had been skeptical when he'd told them his plans, but neither had tried to stop him. In fact, he imagined they wouldn't even be sad to see him go.

_They probably think I'm crazy after all that ranting about the past and the future. Time travel doesn't exist yet. _

He was grabbing a rifle from the armory when Allison came through the door, her eyes questioning and even a bit hurt. "You're leaving?"

He refused to look at her. Leaving Kyle and Derek was hard enough, but leaving her… "I have a mission to do." _She thinks you're crazy, too, _he told himself fiercely. _No one could hear my twisted time-traveling story and actually believe that I'm still sane. _"I don't expect you to understand."

The painful expression that crossed her face only made him feel worse. "I believed you," she said softly, "for what it's worth. I think that you know things. I think you know how to make things right."

_Do I? _he asked himself sullenly. John slung the rifle over his shoulder and moved toward the doorway, but she blocked it, head tilted, staring at him intently. "_Where_ are you going?" she demanded.

He sighed. It couldn't hurt to tell her, could it? After all, he'd be leaving her camp behind in a few hours. He'd probably never see her again after that. "I'm going to my mother's safehouse and then I'm going to destroy that Triple 8 facility and unite the resistance."

He wouldn't have been surprised if she'd laughed, or called him stupid, or even just remained silent, thinking him a complete fool. Instead, and to his great surprise, her eyes had widened, not questioning him, but looking worried.

"You're going _alone_?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "You see anyone lining up to volunteer for a suicide mission?" Maybe that would finally make her see how utterly impossible his quest appeared to be.

She was undeterred. "I'll go with you."

He shook his head quickly and emphatically. "I can't ask you to do that."

Allison simply shrugged and smiled. "You don't have to."

Before he could argue the point any further, she brushed past him and grabbed another weapon. He tried in vain to hide a smile. She had a spirit he admired, as well as Cameron's dogged determination and courage.

And he had to admit, much as he hated to be around her, much as he hated the conflicting emotions she caused, he would hate being away from her even more. That had been the one thing that had given him a doubt about his mission, the only thing that made him consider staying in the Reese camp. He'd have to leave Kyle and Derek, yes. But he'd really only been concerned…and disappointed…about leaving her.

But he'd feel even worse if she got hurt on his watch.

"Are you sure?" he protested. "It'll be dangerous."

She smirked. "I laugh in the face of danger."

"But don't you have a job to do here? You'll need to ask _General _Reese."

Allison snorted. "Oh please. I love the man to death, but he's not _really _a general. We follow him because he's always known what's best."

"What if he thinks it's best for you to stay here?" John countered.

She grinned. "That's when we remind him that he's _not _technically in charge."

John closed his eyes. "You guys have no discipline," he joked. "No wonder Skynet's winning."

Her look turned sober. "Maybe we're not winning because we don't have the right person to lead us."

John took a deep breath. She was right, of course, but he was surprised that she had believed him so readily. So trusting. What was it his mother had said just before she'd been hauled off to jail?

_No one can be trusted._

That had been his world, though. In this future, trust was essential. It was all they had. And that was part of the reason why the resistance had been shaken. When Skynet started sending in Terminators that _looked _like trustworthy allies, the humans had started to lose their faith…and their hope.

But _Allison. _He'd been right. She really was the bright spot in the resistance. Like Kyle said, she never assumed the worst in anyone. She barely knew him and already she believed every word he said, was willing to follow him into the jaws of death in order to make a difference and stop the terror of Skynet.

She was the only one who'd believed him. He'd die before he let anything happen to her. The armory door swung open and the Reese brothers entered, Kyle sighing with relief when he saw Allison.

"I've been looking all over for you," he said. "What are you doing in here?"

Allison gestured to the gun in her hand. "What's it look like?" she asked pointedly.

"Looks like you're packing for a trip," Derek replied coolly. "What we don't know is why. We're laying low for a while, ever since that Terminator attack."

John resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He had a lot of work to do if he was going to turn the ragtag resistance into a full fledged army. This "laying low" and running idea wasn't like the uncle he knew.

"We're going to take out the Triple 8 facility," Allison explained.

Kyle's eyes widened in surprise and Derek's face flushed as he looked from Allison to John. "You're going with _him? _On some suicidal quest?"

Allison kept her head held high. "Yes. I believe that John Connor is the key to stopping Skynet."

Derek sneered. "No, you just think he's cute."

Allison flushed angrily and Kyle turned to glare at his older brother, then back at Allison. "This is a bad idea. It's dangerous. I can't let you go."

"You aren't my father," Allison reminded him quietly. Kyle's expression changed to one of shock and Allison closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Look, John's right. We can't keep running. We need to fight together. United we stand, divided we fall."

"Who told you that?" Derek asked.

"John. He said it's a good motto."

Kyle exchanged a glance with Derek. "Maybe the kid knows more than we think. He would have been a toddler on J-Day, how would he remember a saying like that?"

"Or he's just heard it from someone who was alive before J-Day," Derek shot back, glaring at John. "So what if he knows a motto from the past? It doesn't prove anything. I don't trust him. And, Allison, if you go with him, you're signing up for a Skynet work camp…or worse."

John straightened. "I won't let anything happen to her."

Kyle bit his lip, hesitating, while Derek continued to stare. John felt a little uncomfortable, realizing for the first time how disconcerting his uncle's staring contests were. _Cameron always fared a lot better than me. _

"Fine," Kyle relented with a sigh. "But…be careful."

A wide smile lit Allison's face and she quickly hugged Kyle before running to grab her bag. Kyle's cool gaze found John and he took an imposing step forward, keeping his voice low so Allison wouldn't overhear. "If you try anything or if anything happens to her, don't bother coming back."

John nodded solemnly, though he felt a strange mixture of feelings. This was the first time he'd ever had his father lecture him; of course, it was the first time he'd ever seen his father too. And Kyle didn't even know who he was.

"You can move out at nightfall," Kyle finished before turning to walk away.

*********

John opened the door cautiously, peering into the darkness, but not spotting any Terminator patrols. Allison crept out behind him, waving once at Kyle before the younger Reese closed the bunker door and John helped cover the entrance up with some pieces of metal and rubble.

"Alright," he whispered. "We've got to make it to the safehouse before dawn. It should be right in between us and the Triple 8 facility, just a little bit of a detour."

They walked for hours, treading lightly over the remains of buildings, over bleached skulls. John swallowed hard. In all his wildest dreams, he'd never imagined the future like this. Skynet had destroyed everything. Seeing the destruction with his own eyes only served to fuel his determination. _I have to stop it. _

"Tell me about her," Allison spoke up, her tone conversational.

John didn't need to ask who she was talking about. Just the thought brought a fresh wave of heartache. "What's there to tell?" he asked sullenly. "She's dead."

"Sometimes it's good to talk about things."

"Sometimes it's not." He picked up his pace, stalking away from her and hoping she'd drop the subject. Instead, Allison slowed to a stop.

"I'm sorry," she called.

John stopped, closed his eyes to calm himself, and turned around. "It's not your fault."

Her face was strained and upset. "I'm sorry I look like her, that I remind you of her. I'm sorry it hurts you."

He swallowed hard, fighting a lump in his throat. "I'm fine."

She mercifully dropped the subject and they continued in silence, John's thoughts raging. He winced, having a gut instinct that he had hurt Allison's feelings by being so cross. It wouldn't do any good for him to alienate her, especially before a big mission.

No matter who she looked like.

"She came from the future," he spoke up, watching her turn to him with interest and a little surprise. "Cameron did," he clarified. "She used to talk to me about Future-John, I…" he trailed off, the sudden implications of his words hitting him like a punch in the stomach.

Allison took a step closer. "What?" she prodded.

"It's just…all my life I've been thinking about Future-Me. It was almost like he was a different person. There was me-John and there was Future-John. But now…I _am _Future John. I'm Future-John and I'm Past-John." He shook his head slowly. No, neither one of those was right.

"I'm just John," he realized.

A small smile pulled at the edges of her mouth as she studied him.

"She was a lot like you," he continued. She was right, actually. Talking about Cameron _did _ease a little bit of his pain. "Brave, determined, fierce. I have to admit you have a better sense of humor, though." Allison grinned, another feature he'd rarely seen on Cameron's impassive face. "And you smile more," he added. "I wouldn't have expected anyone in this future to have retained that."

Allison's smile widened and she shrugged. "Like I told Kyle, someone has to keep some optimism alive. If we don't have hope…we have nothing."

"Everyone else seems to have lost hope," he pointed out.

"It only takes one person to restore it, though."

"Is that why you came with me?" he questioned. "Cuz you believe I can bring them hope?"

The look in her eyes confirmed it for him even before her words did. "Yes."

"You'd be the only one," he muttered. "I know Kyle and Derek don't believe me. They need proof, which I don't have."

How on earth was he supposed to prove his story to them?

"Is there anyone you met in 2009 that would know you here?" Allison suggested.

John was about to shake his head 'no' when he remembered, "Martin Bedell."

"Bedell?" Allison repeated with a frown. He thought he heard some recognition there.

"You know him?"

She scrunched up her face, as if trying to remember. "Sounds familiar but I don't think he's at our camp. Did he know you?"

"Well, he could definitely prove the time travel. As for me being the leader of mankind, he only knows what he's heard from me and Derek."

There was no way he would ever be able to prove something that hadn't happened yet. It was impossible. All he could do was prove to them that he was worthy of the title and let them make the choice for themselves.

They continued walking, with John keeping track of how much time and miles had gone by. He quickly flipped on the flashlight and scanned around, turning it off after ten seconds. He couldn't run the risk of a Terminator patrol spotting the light.

"This is a lot harder to do with all this rubble around," John muttered with a grimace. He was suddenly grateful for how his mother made him memorize all possible routes to each of the safehouses.

"You know this technically isn't a desert," Allison pointed out.

"It used to be," John replied with a shrug. "And the safehouse wasn't exactly smack dab in the middle of the desert. It should be…around here actually."

He took a few more steps forward and his foot brushed against something hard hidden underneath the sand and dirt. He brushed it away and slid open the door to the underground safehouse, pulling some garbage and rubble overtop of the door as he closed it. They had to make sure this place stayed hidden.

Allison was already looking around the safehouse. It wasn't very big, but it was stockpiled with explosives, weapons, grenades. Pretty much anything useful. The stash had definitely increased since John had seen it last.

He opened a cabinet and found an unopened bag of crunchy Cheetos inside. He smiled sadly; he'd told his mother how they were his favorite snack.

Even if they were at least thirteen years old.

"Wow," Allison said, picking up a package of C4 from a shelf. "Your mom was certainly prepared."

"Yeah, well, she certainly had enough time to," John replied easily, dumping the packages into his backpack. They'd need those to blow the T-888 Facility. "She's been trying to stop Skynet since before I was born."

John picked up a futuristic looking gun, studying the make and giving a low whistle. "Phased plasma rifle. That'll do some damage. It's perfect."

Allison walked over to a small container in the corner and lifted off the lid. "What's all this?"

John came over and looked in, his breath catching as he studied the contents. "It's _my _stuff. She kept it."

Inside the box was everything he'd taken with him from the LA County house when they'd been preparing to move to the safehouse. It looked almost untouched and he removed some of his changes of clothes. His heart began pounding when he saw that it was still sitting there at the bottom of the box.

The necklace Cameron had given him.

The pocket watch with the kill switch. He pulled it out, cradling it in his hand, his mind automatically taking him back to that moment. Cameron putting the necklace around his neck, her comforting smile.

_Why would I want to kill you?_

"What's that?" Allison asked, noticing the necklace.

He couldn't tell her about the detonator. She couldn't know that he was in love with a cyborg. To her, machines were still the enemy. He had a feeling most of the resistance fighters felt that way right now.

"It's a pocket watch," he said quickly.

She quirked an eyebrow. "A what?"

"A watch," he repeated, before he realized she probably didn't remember what a watch was. "It's supposed to tell the time."

She shrugged helplessly. "O-kay. So what time is it?"

John opened the watch, looking once more at the red button inside. _Time to find Cameron. _"I don't know," he said aloud. "It's broken."

He hung the watch around his neck and tucked it into his shirt before reaching back inside the box, pulling out a small square photograph, the one he'd taken from Ellison's house when he and Cameron had confronted the FBI agent about the theft of Cromartie's body.

John slid down to the floor, staring at the picture of his mother, drawing in a deep, shaky breath. _Oh, Mom, I wish you could be here. _She always knew what to do.

Allison came over and sat down beside him, gazing at him questioningly. "What's wrong?"

John shook his head, eyes still on the photo. "You may not believe me…but I've created a time paradox, what happens the future affects the past." He sighed. "It's complicated. For one thing…Kyle Reese is my father."

Her eyes widened at that. "Your…father?" she repeated. "How is that…you were born before he was."

"That's the paradox," John explained. "At some point, I send him back in time to protect my mother from termination and I guess they hit it off. I'm conceived just before he dies. In the past. Now, I have to make sure that happens."

Allison leaned back, frowning thoughtfully. "So, you need to hook your father up with your mother so you can be born?"

John could have sworn her heard some skepticism in her tone. "If you don't believe me…"

"No, no, I believe you," she corrected. "It's just…" she made a face. "…weird."

"Welcome to my world," John retorted. "Now I have to make sure Kyle is the one who goes back. I have to make sure he falls in love with my mother before he even meets her."

He could have laughed at himself. _How did I do this originally? How am I going to get him to fall in love with a woman he believes is dead? With John Connor's _mother _for crying out loud! "_How do I do that?" he asked with a helpless shrug. "He doesn't even know what she looks like."

Allison gestured to the photo in his hand. "So give him that picture."

"And say what?" John scoffed. "Here's a picture of my mother? Thought you might like it?"

"Just say she'll bring him good luck…like a guardian angel." Allison smiled and to John, her idea began to make sense.

"Okay," he agreed, tucking the picture into his pocket. "It's not like I can screw up the timelines any more than I already have."

Allison cocked her head at him, her eyes intense. "I don't think you _have _screwed up the timelines. I think you're here, right now, for a reason."

John held her gaze for a moment before she looked away, biting her lip. He knew there was hidden meaning behind her words. She _liked _him. If he wouldn't have time jumped, they might never have met. He would have been fifteen years older than her.

"What do we do now?" she asked softly.

"We wait for the cover of darkness," he replied. "Then we continue on to the Triple 8 facility."

"What happens if a Terminator finds us?"

"Scream?" John replied with a shrug.

"I'm serious."

He turned his head towards her, eyes somber. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

She smiled before lying down on the floor. "Good. Cuz I'd hate to think about what Kyle would do to you if you did." She opened one eye to look up at him. "You're not gonna sleep?"

He shrugged. "I'll keep watch. Not really tired."

Maybe his body was still adjusting to the daytime of 2024. The waking hours were effectively reversed: sleep in the day, come out at night. He was still in the process of becoming nocturnal. And of course, the time lag could also be throwing off his sleeping behavior as well.

But Kyle's words haunted him as well. _If you let anything happen to her…_John shook his head adamantly. He wasn't going to let his guard down; he wouldn't let _anything _happen to Allison. He'd _have _to keep watch. Because even down here, underground, in his hidden safehouse, they weren't safe.

No one was ever safe. That was his mother's motto, her guide to life. It was his guide to life too. No one was ever safe and no _where _was ever safe. This was how it had to be.

One must watch while one must sleep.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

**NEXT: **John and Allison's mission to destroy the Trip8 Factory. _Please review and let me know your thoughts!!_


	4. Born to Rise

_author's note: Okay, so a lot of you have been asking is John going to stay in the future, is he going to return to 2009, is this Jameron or Jallison...Well, I don't want to spoil too much, but yes John's staying here in the future. The way I'm writing is like a cycle, so that at the end of this story, you could actually go back and watch the series again and it would make sense, with some things clarified or expanded upon. So there will be bits and pieces of the actual episodes scattered around eventually, certain memorable events, but other than that you'll just have to find out. I do have several interesting twists planned out, so I hope you guys will enjoy that. _

_So, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. If there's any Firefly/Serenity fans out there, there's actually about three references to the show and/or movie in here. Oh, and as for updating, I plan on putting out a new chapter every week. _

****

* * *

**Chapter Four:**

**Born to Rise**

"Hey, look, I can see the factory from here," Allison spoke up in a hushed tone. John's feet were dragging by the time they came over the hill, his hair matted with sweat, breathing heavily from walking all night.

"About time," he muttered. "It's almost dawn."

Despite the fact that they'd departed the safehouse as soon as darkness fell, it had taken them a while to hike back to where they'd taken the detour. Then the trek to the factory began. John had absolutely no idea where he was going, but Kyle had given him directions and Allison seemed to know the general area fairly well.

Allison had taken her turn on watch last night (or morning) and he'd desperately tried to get some much-needed rest. Instead, he'd found himself tossing and turning, plagued with the nightmare of what John Henry had done to Cameron, the absolute horror and helplessness John had felt when he'd entered the basement to find Cameron's chip gone. Her words repeating over and over and over again, each repetition tearing his heart out.

I'M SORRY JOHN I'M SORRY JOHN I'M SORRY JOHN

He must have cried her name in his sleep because Allison was suddenly shaking him awake, her face filled with anxiety. He saw her standing above him and almost made the mistake of calling her Cameron again. Instead, he slowly rose to a sitting position, avoiding eye contact, squeezing his eyes shut, trying not to look at her.

John nearly stumbled over a pile of rubble and quickly shook away the memories, ordering himself to concentrate. Worrying or even thinking about Cameron wasn't going to help him find her. To do that, he needed Weaver and Weaver needed him to unite the humans, to destroy this factory. He needed to focus on his mission.

Just as they hiked over a mound of debris, John spotted something off to the side that made his entire body freeze in place and his throat go dry. Four decapitated heads were speared on pikes sticking out of the ground, a warning to any human who dared to come near.

John's stomach twisted at the gruesome sight and he hurriedly averted his gaze. He heard a quiet gasp from Allison and turned to see her cover her mouth, her eyes filled with horror and fear as she turned away from him, vomiting.

John winced as he approached, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, realizing she was shaking with sobs. He felt absolutely awful. _She shouldn't have to see this. No one should have to see this… _

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

Slowly Allison turned back to him, breathing heavily. He saw a tear run down her face and she squeezed her eyes shut. "Yeah…I just…I knew these people…this…"

He could see her about to break down again and felt his heart wrench. "I'm sorry. I…I shouldn't have brought you here."

"No!" she replied adamantly, quickly rising to her feet, careful to keep her eyes averted from the horrific display. "This…this is important. I'm…I'm alright."

John hesitated, but her face was strong and determined once more. He should have known this would happen. Kyle had told him about the patrol that had been killed, about this gruesome warning. He should have been expecting it, should have realized that these could be people Allison knew.

For a brief moment, he wondered how he would have taken it if it had been _his _friends up there. What if it had been the heads of Kyle and Derek? Of Sarah? Of _Cameron_? He was sure he would have broken down.

"I'm sorry, Allison," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

She shook her head quickly. "It's not your fault. It's Skynet. That's why we need to destroy this factory. We have to make sure this doesn't happen again." Her voice was hardened with resolve. The sight had been a shock, he knew, but it only made her want to try harder to stop the evil that had caused it. He admired that.

"Let's go," she said.

John was about to follow when he spotted a flash of movement in the distance.

His mind instinctively screamed: _TERMINATOR!_

John moved without thinking, only a split second after he glimpsed the machine in the distance. He tackled Allison to the ground, moving them both out of sight amongst the rubble and destruction.

They landed hard in the dirt and John was incredibly grateful there were no metal scraps lying around that could have clanged together, alerting the Terminator to their presence.

His heart was pounding wildly in his ears as he carefully peered around the pile, but the Terminator continued on and John breathed a sigh of relief, realizing for the first time that he was still on top of Allison in an extremely awkward position. Allison's eyes widened slightly, apparently become aware of the same thing. John could feel his face redden with embarrassment as he scrambled off.

Why was he feeling this way? _You love Cameron! _And yet, another part of him rationally countered, _Cameron doesn't exist yet. _He knew, deep down in his heart, that Cameron and Allison would never exist at the same time. He'd either have one or the other. Was it really so bad for him to care for Allison too? Was he betraying Cameron?

Was this how it felt when people got remarried after losing the one they loved the first time? Did they feel like it was some kind of betrayal to love someone else? Of course, his situation was a whole lot different. His situation added a whole new level of twisted. He _had _loved Cameron; now Cameron was gone, but she'd be back. She just wasn't in existence yet. Did that mean she was technically dead right now? Or should he consider her just…missing?

He put a hand on his head, groaning. _Time travel can really mess with your head. _

They crept closer to the facility and John spotted the Terminator patrol again, coming back this time. John quietly raised the plasma rifle, took delicate aim at the right side of the Terminator's head, and fired.

The blue bolt blasted a huge chunk out of the Terminator's skull, it's body dropping heavily to the ground. John hurried up to the remains, drawing his knife just in case before he saw that the chip was indeed obliterated.

He glanced over at Allison, then down at his rifle. "This really is a sweet weapon. All we had for weapons in my time were nine-millimeters and---" _Cameron, _he finished silently. She'd been their greatest asset, his most loyal ally.

"And what?" Allison prodded.

John quickly racked his brain. _I call shotgun…_ "Shotguns," he improvised.

"Wow, primitive," she agreed.

John shrugged before walking forward to the doors of the facility, his rifle charged and at the ready. Not that it would do much good if they were ambushed by a whole squad of Triple 8's with weapons of their own.

He and Allison crept into the facility, stepping lightly and cautiously. John's pulse was pounding rapidly, and he was scared to death that a Triple 8 would suddenly come up behind them, even though so far he hadn't seen one.

In fact, he hadn't seen any. _Am I in the right place? _

Before he could contemplate the lack of resistance, a couple of small explosions came from the west end of the complex, no doubt drawing any remaining Triple 8's away from where John and Allison were.

"What was that?" Allison demanded, her eyes wide.

There was only one explanation for it. A slow smile spread across John's face. "My distraction."

Allison seemed mildly impressed, and also no doubt bewildered as to how he would have set up this so-called distraction.

"Okay," John said, pulling out the packages of C4. "Let's get these charges planted."

They moved quickly and urgently, deeper into the heart of the facility, laying the C4 charges as they went. He could hear a commotion from the other end, followed by a few small BOOMS.

_Way to go, Weaver, _he thought smugly. _Metal versus metal. _He briefly wondered if Catherine Weaver was actually taking on all the Triple 8's by herself or if maybe some of John Henry's resistance had arrived to help. Truth be told, he believed Weaver probably _could _take on the Triple 8's by herself but either way, the whole machine on machine fight was a bizarre thought. In fact, this whole machine rebellion was a little hard to swallow.

He set his last charge down when a Triple 8 with Vick Chamberlain's face came around the corner, eyes targeting Allison, who stood about three feet closer to the killing machine.

John's heart nearly stopped, knowing instantly that he wouldn't have enough time to get his weapon ready before Vick had terminated Allison.

"No!" he shouted, diving in front of her as the Terminator lifted its weapon. His instincts were screaming in protest, years of training telling him he needed to run, that he couldn't let himself get killed, he had to allow the sacrifice…

But his heart had won out. He'd seen Cameron die once. He couldn't bear to see her die again.

He stared up into the cold eyes of the Vick Terminator. It aimed its gun once more but before it could fire, something silver pierced through its chest from behind. The Triple 8 dropped to the floor and John saw the familiar face standing behind him.

"Weaver!" he exclaimed.

The liquid metal arm slowly morphed back into the form of a human hand. John shot a glance at Allison's whose wide eyes were filled with shock, looking from the dead Terminator on the floor, a hole pierced in his chest, to Weaver's now human hand and finally her impassive face.

"What is that?" she breathed, instinctively taking a step backwards.

"Liquid metal," he replied easily. "The kind I told you about. She's on our side."

Allison's eyes grew even wider with surprise. "Some of the machines are _helping_ you?"

"Why not?" John replied with a bitter shrug, thinking about the Grays Kyle and Derek had mentioned. "Some of the humans are helping the machines."

She still seemed uncertain, scared even. And with good reason. She'd spent her whole life running from these things, knowing what they did. The general belief was that machines were evil. But the humans were the opposite. Humans had been the allies, no matter how old, how young, what they looked like, who they used to be, they were all together. Except for the Grays. He could the bewilderment slowly fade as she came to the same conclusion. Good and evil existed among any species, even the machines.

She was smart, he'd give her that.

Weaver's cool eyes stared at Allison, and the girl fidgeted nervously. "Go plant the last charge and we'll destroy this facility," Weaver ordered.

Allison didn't need to be told twice, darting down the hallway to lay the final charge. As soon as she was out of sight, Weaver stalked up to John, eyes disappointed and accusing.

"That was foolish," Weaver said in a terse voice. "You should not have risked your life to save her."

John didn't need to hear this lecture, especially not from her. His eyebrows narrowed in defiance. "I don't care."

"You cannot let yourself be blinded by feelings because of her metal counterpart," Weaver warned. "She is not Cameron."

"I know that," John retorted through gritted teeth. That didn't mean he didn't care about her, though.

"She is expendable," Weaver continued.

"No one is expendable," John shot back firmly. "_No_ one. That's what makes me different from you. No one is expendable."

Weaver quirked an eyebrow. "Of course they are. I believe your mother used to say no one dies in vain."

"That's different," he insisted. "Expendable implies that their lives are meaningless; just pawns in the game. But that's not true. Human life is sacred, but sometimes sacrifices are necessary. So she's right. No one dies in vain. It's always for a reason. It's always worth something."

Allison came rushing back around the corner. "It's set," she announced. "We ready to blow this place?"

John cast a cautionary glance back at Weaver before nodding. "Yeah, let's go."

Weaver went ahead of them, spearing a Triple 8 that remained from the metal massacre. "Go, Connor," she said. "I'll meet up with you at another time."

"Where are you–"

She had disappeared before he could finish his sentence. John scowled after her. _Metal. _Maybe she had to go check on John Henry. Oh, how John wanted _that _meeting to come. As soon as he united the Resistance, that would be the first thing he did. Have Weaver arrange a meeting with John Henry.

John would get Cameron's chip back if it was the last thing he did.

"Where is she going?" Allison spoke up beside him. He'd almost forgotten she'd been standing there.

"I don't know," John replied honestly, his face hardening. "But she'll be back." He hoisted his backpack over his shoulder and headed for the door. "Come on, let's go."

As soon as they were far enough away from the factory, John crouched down behind a mound of rubble.

"We should be safe from the blast here," he said.

_Too close, John. _

John frowned, puzzled, looking at Allison, recognizing her voice, but she didn't appear to have spoken. _Who? Cameron? Now I'm hearing her voice in my head?_ _This must be what going insane feels like_. Next he'd start hallucinating her. A quick glance at Allison reminded him that he sort of already _was. _

The voice in his head came again: _You are 5.8 meters inside the blast radius._

Definitely Cameron, he realized with utter amazement. Only Cameron would be so technical. Heck, only Cameron would _know _the exact blast radius based on the amount of C4 they'd planted.

"Wait," he said aloud. "We need to move back."

Allison cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you said this was a safe spot."

"I changed my mind," John replied easily. "Let's back up another ten meters, just to be safe."

She still seemed a little confused, but did as he suggested. John took refuge in the new spot.

_Good. _

Cameron's voice in his head was soft, tender, a tone almost identical to the one she'd used when he'd removed her chip for the first time, when he'd made the cut correctly.

John took a deep breath and pressed the detonator. Instantly, the factory exploded, the blast shattering walls, fire spewing from the top of the facility, smoke heavy in the air.

John felt the thrill of victory shoot through his body and he grinned. The destruction of the facility opened up so many possibilities for him and the humans. Skynet's Triple 8 production would be set back, and, in the mean time, the humans would join forces. Their spirits would be renewed; their hopes restored. He'd become the leader and eventually…they would win.

John's smile widened.

"Next stop…the Resistance."

***********

John and Allison walked through the rubble where the second half of the resistance was supposed to be. John had no idea what he was looking for. Maybe the humans would have a patrol out. Hopefully they would because he wasn't sure how they could find the hidden entrance if the machines couldn't.

"Look," Allison said softly at his side, pointing to a shadowy figure in the distance. "Patrol. Looks human."

John readied his rifle, anyway. "You can never be sure," he muttered. The patrol spotted them and raised his own weapon.

"Stop right there!" he shouted. Both his voice and his gun wavered slightly and John instantly knew he was human.

John quickly dropped his gun on the ground, raising his hands. "We're not metal. We're friends, part of the resistance from the other side."

The patrol's eyes jumped from John to Allison, his hands shaking as they clutched his weapon. "Terminators don't usually travel in pairs. What's your name?"

"John Connor. This is Allison Young. We're not metal, we're human. We're just here to talk with whoever's in charge."

The patrol seemed to relax slightly, judging from their behavior that they weren't Terminators. "Come with me. Quickly."

John and Allison followed the patrol to the hidden entrance. Once he saw the inside of the underground camp, John found it to be much like Kyle's. Dark and damp, with minimal lighting. Lots of disheartened people crying out for food or water.

"Wait here," the patrol said, walking inside a room. John assumed he was getting their leader. Though judging by the looks of this place, and the fact that there didn't seem to be an overabundance of soldiers in this place, John guessed they were in a similar situation as Kyle. Too many losses had drained their hope and will to fight.

Less than thirty seconds later, a tall figure stepped out of the room and John's eyes widened. The face was older, of course, wrinkled and battle scarred, but he could still make out some familiar features.

"Martin? Martin Bedell?"

Bedell blinked rapidly and wrinkled his nose as he stared at John. "Connor? You look…"

"Different?"

"The same," Martin finished. His face twisted into confusion. "How…?"

"I time traveled here from 2009," John explained.

Martin looked skeptical. "You time traveled? Here? Why the _heck_ would you do that?"

John was silent for a moment, finally realizing how crazy he must seem to have time jumped from paradise into the future, especially knowing full well the horror and devastation that was coming. And neither was John going to explain to Martin Bedell that he'd come to the future in a desperate attempt to save the life of a cyborg he had fallen in love with.

There was no way he was going to tell anyone that. Not even Allison. No one would understand. His mother had understood the fact that some of the machines were helping the humans, but she'd never comprehended his overwhelming desire to love Cameron.

And if his own mother couldn't accept that decision, how could he expect anyone else to?

"I'm here to unite the resistance," he told Martin. "We have to fight back against the machines."

Bedell pursed his lips, shaking his head sadly. "We can't fight, Connor," he said. "There's no way we can win. Skynet keeps unleashing more and more weapons on us. With the work camps and the Grays, there's no way we can fight against the machines. The only thing we can do is run, and even so, we can only run for so long before they find us."

"So you've resigned yourself to your fates?" John demanded angrily. Martin Bedell _couldn't_ be surrendering. Martin had trained specifically for this task; he'd continued on at Presidio Alto, he'd graduated and gone to West Point, all because John would need him in the future. "You've given up!"

"Not me," Bedell replied. "At least, not entirely. But I can't do anything on my own. I can't lead all these people. They've lost the will to fight. They know we're on the losing side of this war, and they don't see any way we can win."

"We can win if we join together," John said. "Derek and Kyle Reese are sort of in charge of the other large resistance pocket. We can meet up with them…"

"Derek…" Bedell repeated, smiling slightly. John couldn't help feel a pang of regret. The Derek that Bedell was remembering from P. Alto was dead.

Finally, Martin looked up at John, shaking his head slowly. "We can't go. We've already lost too many people who have strayed too close to that Triple 8 facility."

For the first time since he'd been in Bedell's camp, John smiled, like a kid who knew some big important secret. Which, in a way, he did. "I've destroyed the facility."

Martin's eyes registered astonishment and awe at the same time. "You…you have? By yourself?" Bedell grinned broadly. "Maybe you really _are_ meant to save mankind."

John nodded solemnly. "This is my fate. My destiny."

The news of the factory destruction seemed to have put Martin in a hopeful and more cheerful mood. John realized it was probably the best thing that had happened for the resistance since the Century breakout over three years ago. For the first time, Bedell glanced at Allison, who was standing quietly behind John, merely observing the exchange.

"And you are?" Martin asked.

Allison stepped forward, grinning brightly as she held out a hand for Bedell to shake. "Allison Young, co-savior of mankind."

"Awesome," Bedell said with a smile. His eyes flashed back to John. "Alright then. Let's meet with the Reese brothers.

************

John led Martin's squad in to meet Kyle and Derek, watching with a grave sadness as Martin's eyes lit up with recognition when he saw Derek. The older soldier stepped forward, grinning broadly.

"Derek," he said, offering the older Reese a hand shake.

Derek took Martin's hand, but stared at him skeptically. "Do I know you?"

A flash of uncertainly crossed Martin's face. "Martin Bedell."

Derek shrugged, glancing over at John with a bit of irritation in his eyes. "What is it with all you people knowing who I am?" He turned back to study Bedell suspiciously. "I've never seen you before in my life."

"It's not the same Derek," John said quietly to Martin. "The Derek you knew died. The Derek I knew died."

Martin was silent as he tried to process that information. Derek cocked his head curiously looking from John to Martin.

"You know Connor?" he asked.

Martin nodded. "He saved my life when I was at the military academy Presidio Alto. John and you—." He cast a quick, confused glance at John before correcting, "err, _other_ Derek came to the camp and stopped a Terminator from trying to murder me. They told me that I had to stay and become a soldier and that he would grow up to become the leader of mankind when the world ends."

Derek smirked. "He told you that too, huh?"

John's head turned toward the doorway as he heard boots clanking on the floor. Kyle Reese walked in, looking pleasantly surprised to see the guest John had brought.

"Martin?"

"Kyle?" Bedell looked equally astonished. John hadn't expected the two to know each other. After all, they had been on two separate sides of the Resistance.

Even Allison seemed surprised, though she shrugged and grinned at John. "One big happy family."

"You know Kyle too?" John asked Martin.

"I was in Century with him," Bedell replied. "I got my stomach blown open during the escape." He shuddered, closing his eyes against a traumatic memory. "It was awful, I didn't even expect to survive. Six hours… That's how long I spent holding my own guts in and I thought for sure I was done for. But Kyle Reese wouldn't let me die. He carried me…on his back, no less…all the way out to the nearest camp where I was patched up. I owe him my life."

Kyle smiled slightly. "Anyone would have done the same."

But John knew that wasn't true. He felt a sense of pride well within him. His father was the real hero, the real soldier. He knew what it took to take the victory, but he also wouldn't sacrifice the lives of his comrades to do it. John hesitated for a moment. Kyle would never have left a man stranded. Was that why the Resistance had lost? Was that why Skynet was winning? Was John going to have to be the one to allow sacrifices in order to achieve victory? Was that the reason why he would become the leader and not Kyle?

Just the thought of himself being a cold, sacrificing leader made him sick.

"Why are you here?" Kyle asked, brow furrowed with bewilderment. "I thought you returned to the other side of the resistance."

"Connor brought me back," Martin replied, nodding in John's direction. Kyle's eyes instantly went to Allison who was still standing at John's side. Kyle rushed to her side, pulling her into a hug.

"Thank God you're safe," he whispered.

Watching the exchange, John felt a pang of regret…and jealousy. Kyle was _his _father, not Allison's. Whether Kyle knew it or not. He longed to tell everyone the truth, but he knew he couldn't risk screwing up the timeline even further. If Kyle knew about their relationship, that might affect some of his decisions in the future. And John couldn't allow that.

From within Kyle's loving embrace, Allison's eyes found John's and her face fell, obviously spotting the hurt and resentment in his gaze. Her face twisted apologetically. Of course, she knew about Kyle being his father. He'd told her, though maybe he shouldn't have.

Somehow, her reaction only seemed to rub salt in the wound and he quickly looked away. Kyle finally pulled away and glanced over at John.

"Thank you for bringing her back safely," he said sincerely. Despite himself, John felt a small smile light his face at his father's praise. Then Kyle's face seemed to contort into uncertainty. "How exactly did you get past the Triple 8 facility?"

"We didn't," John replied strongly. "We destroyed it."

The room was suddenly silent. John was sure he could have heard a pin drop. Allison's face was playfully cocky; Derek's mouth had dropped open in silent amazement; Kyle's eyes were slowly changing from shocked to…respectful.

"You destroyed the facility?" Kyle repeated, as if he couldn't believe his ears.

John nodded. "And I'm uniting the Resistance. We need to band together if we're going to defeat Skynet."

"We'll follow your lead, Connor," Bedell said. He glanced over at Derek and Kyle. "He knows what he's talking about. He knows how the machines work. He knows how to defeat them."

Kyle slowly began to nod his agreement. "You're right." He glanced down at John, who kept his face strong and determined. Then he looked over at his brother. "Look at all he's done already. He single-handedly destroyed a Terminator infiltrator in our very own base. He's destroyed the Triple-8 Facility that has split the Resistance in two, a barrier we've been trying to get around for years. And now, he's brought the Resistance together. He can restore hope to our soldiers." Kyle stared at John, his eyes now holding a fond respect. "John Connor can win this war."

John glanced over at Derek, who started nodding slowly, agreeing with his brother. "I guess I was right about you, Connor," he began with a grin. "You _are_ gonna be famous."

************

John sat down in his bunk, his mind already beginning to map out strategies for the next step in his battle plan. This time, he wasn't scared or surprised at all when the silver mass pooled out of the ceiling and slowly took the form of Weaver.

"John Connor," she said by way of greeting. "I see you have returned with the other half of the Resistance."

"Not only that," John said casually. "But I think they believe me now. I'm becoming the leader."

"Good job," she said with a pleased smile. "You've done well."

John pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Alright. I've done what you asked. I've united the resistance. I've become the leader." His tone grew more intense. "Now, take me to John Henry."

Weaver smiled as she shook her head. "I can't do that, John. You should know that by now. John Henry is very busy. As I've said before, everything will happen as it's supposed to. There is a time for everything."

"The time is now," John shot back. He'd come all this way in order to save Cameron. That was the only reason he had time-jumped with Weaver, to find John Henry and get back Cameron's chip. She wasn't going to deny him this. He'd get Cameron back. No power in the _universe _could stop him.

"I swear I'm going to find him," John said angrily. "And you told me you'd take me to him if I fixed the timeline, got the resistance back on track, became the leader. I've done what you asked. Now, I need to find Cameron."

Weaver smiled, chuckling softly, almost sadly. "Oh, John. Your job has only just begun."

* * *

**NEXT: **John begins becoming the leader of the camp, uniting and restoring hope to the Resistance.


	5. Born to Lead

_author's note: Thanks so much for everyone who has been reading this story! Your reviews are greatly appreciated. And I'm always open to suggestions if anyone has any ideas. I'm still in the process of writing the rest of the story, so if anyone has anything they'd like to see (besides Jallison or Jameron, since that's already covered) feel free to make suggestions. I'd love to hear what you think._**

* * *

**

**Chapter Five:**

**Born to Lead**

John lay in his bunk quietly, his brain still processing Weaver's words. _You job has only just begun. _She'd been clear on that point. He wasn't able to find John Henry yet. According to Weaver, he still had an important job to do…and if he continued to succeed, finding John Henry – and more importantly Cameron – would follow after.

There was no way he'd be able to get back to sleep at this point, so he settled for getting up earlier than usual, throwing on some clothes and walking out into the tunnels of Depot 2. The tunnels were relatively quiet, though he could hear the faint noises of soft footsteps and something brushing against the tunnel wall.

Curiously, John followed the strange sound to find Allison standing in front of wall with a few open cans of paint sitting at her feet. But what really caught his eye was her work of art on the concrete wall. It depicted a lion with a Terminator's head caught between its teeth. The inscription simply read, "Hang in there, baby."

The edges of John's mouth turned up into a smile. Allison heard his low whistle of amazement and turned around to regard him with a small smile of her own.

"Hey, _General _Connor," she said.

John scoffed playfully. "I don't think I'm technically a General yet."

She shrugged, turning back to her painting. "So what's your plan of action?"

John pursed his lips. He hadn't really given much thought to it. What he really wanted more than anything was to confront John Henry face to face. What he really wanted was to find Cameron's body in this timeline, if it even existed yet, which he highly doubted. But, according to Weaver, what he really _needed _to do was continue to unite the resistance. He'd brought together the leaders, but the soldiers themselves needed their hope restored, their faith renewed, their spirits lifted.

"Maybe I'll go around to all the bunkers," he began. "Teach them how to set up traps for the Terminators; give some kind of brilliant motivational speech…" He took a few steps closer, nodding towards her piece of artwork.

"Speaking of brilliance, that's really good," he said, impressed. "Where'd you learn to paint like that?"

She blushed and looked away, embarrassed at his praise. "My father," she began. "He was an architect. He taught me how to draw." Both her eyes and smile grew sad. "He loved to sketch," she said fondly. "He'd work on his building designs in his office while I doodled things like butterflies. I haven't seen a butterfly in…" she trailed off, shaking her head. "…well, since before J-Day."

John pursed his lips, quickly changing the subject from the dreaded nuclear war. "What about your mom?"

"She was a dancer," Allison replied, a far away look in her eyes and a warm smile on her face. "She would sit for hours and listen to Chopin."

_Chopin. _John almost choked on air. Cameron had listened to Chopin too. Cameron had danced ballet in her room at times when she thought no one was watching. He swallowed hard as Allison's brown eyes stared back at him.

It was times like these when he found it nearly impossible to remind himself that Cameron and Allison weren't the same person. That Cameron was dead right now.

Their eyes remained locked for a few seconds before John looked away uncomfortably, clearing his throat, eyes flashing once more toward the slogan on the picture: Hang in there, baby.

It reminded him of the safehouse, the poster Derek's resistance fighters had used to hide the safe. The little kitty gripping the tree branch, those same words, Hang in there, baby.

_People do like small animals. _

John's heart wrenched at yet another reminder of Cameron. Allison seemed to notice the change in his face and body posture.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concern evident in her tone.

John shook his head quickly. "I've just seen that phrase before. On a kitty poster some soldiers from the resistance had hanging up in their base."

Allison quirked an eyebrow and smirked. "They had a kitty poster?"

"People do like small animals," John found himself repeating.

Allison's eyes lit up with excitement. "Ooh, that reminds me! I've got something for you." She rushed down the tunnel, leaving John alone and very much confused.

Only a few minutes later, she returned, carrying something small and fuzzy in her arms. It took John a moment to realize it was a young German Shepherd puppy. His eyes instantly lit up as she handed the dog over to him and he cradled it in his arms affectionately. It had been a long time since he'd had a dog. His first one had been killed by the T-1000 that had come for him at his foster parent's house. He'd never gotten another.

Even though they _were_ the best warning for an incoming Terminator attack, he'd never wanted the responsibility of owning a dog again. He didn't want to have to leave it behind every time they had to suddenly move at any given moment. He also didn't want it to have to die at the hands of a killing machine who was after himself.

But that strange bond between boy and dog was almost instantly back as he held the small puppy in his arms, grinning from ear to ear as it stretched up its neck to lick his nose.

Allison seemed happy to have cheered him up. "One of our guard dogs just had a litter of puppies," she explained. "They haven't been named yet, so you could come up with something for him yourself."

John didn't even have to think. "Max," he said, stroking the pup's head fondly. He and Allison spent the better part of the morning that way, sitting on the floor together, playing with John's new puppy.

And in the most bizarre turn of events, John actually found that it was the most normal he had ever felt in his life. He would never have expected that moment to come when he was thirteen years into the future, sitting inside a dark tunnel engaged in a war with killer robots, across from a girl who looked like the cyborg he loved, playing with a puppy he'd just met but loved dearly.

Then again, maybe for him this _was _normal.

Not long after, the rest of the camp started to stir and Bedell came in to find John, grinning broadly.

"Connor! Great news!" he exclaimed. "Destroying the Trip 8 facility has set Skynet back. It's angry, but it's also recognizing that we could become a major threat. We need to strike now while it's vulnerable."

_No. That's what Skynet wants us to think. It wants us to get overconfident. The moment we do that, we lose. _"Skynet's never vulnerable," John replied. "It'll be expecting that. No, we don't strike now."

Bedell seemed a bit puzzled, but by now he knew better than to question John Connor's judgment, having seen himself everything John was capable of. "Then what are we going to do?"

"I'm going to all the camps and bunkers we have," John explained. "The humans need to be rallied under one leadership. I'll teach them how to recognize Terminators from humans, how to defeat them, how to set up electrical traps in all the bases." He turned and looked over at Allison. "I'd like you to come with me."

Allison's smile brightened. "Yes sir, General."

Bedell looked between them, his smile widening. "Good luck, Connor." Martin turned to leave, then turned around on his heel. "Oh, and, merry Christmas, _sir._"

John's eyes widened and he turned to regard Allison in shock. "What's today's date?"

"December 25th," she replied.

John blinked rapidly. "It's Christmas?"

She shrugged. "That's what some people call it. Don't really see why. But, hey, you can think of the puppy as your Christmas present."

John stared down at the puppy, a sharp pang in his heart. "You don't have Christmas?"

"Some of the older soldiers tell us about what happened in the past on Christmas," Allison explained nonchalantly, as if they were talking about where the restrooms were located. "Stuff about turkeys and presents and some big fat guy coming down chimneys…which makes _perfect _sense, of course…"

"It's not about that," John insisted. "It's also about family." Not that he was some expert on the Christmas holiday. In fact, it had been rare for him and his mother to celebrate Christmas, especially when they were constantly on the run.

"Yeah, well, most of us don't have family," Allison reminded him.

"What about Kyle?" John already knew Kyle acted like a father figure to Allison. Wouldn't he want his "daughter" to recognize the holiday? "He never tried to celebrate Christmas?"

"Kyle barely remembers what Christmas is," Allison said with a sad smile. "I didn't at all until Derek reminded us both. Even Derek's memory is a little hazy. I guess you start to forget when you've been fighting a losing battle for so long."

John sat down on the floor and the puppy quickly jumped into his lap. He felt weird thinking this, but Max was the best Christmas present he'd ever received. And he'd received it in a future where Christmas was merely a childhood memory. Ironic, really.

He suddenly looked up at Allison, suddenly feeling very inconsiderate, despite the fact that up until this point he hadn't even known what month he'd landed in. "I didn't get you anything." Maybe he could find another puppy crawling around…

"Yeah, you did," she replied with her tender smile. "You brought us all a Christmas present."

John's forehead wrinkled as he frowned. "What?"

"Hope."

***********

"You're going to go around to all the camps?" Derek asked skeptically. "Give a little motivational speech, set up some traps, and expect everyone to believe in John Connor?"

John scowled, but Allison spoke up. "Come on, Derek. You saw what he can do. You saw how he took out that Triple 8 factory."

"I'm not saying _I _don't believe him," Derek replied with a casual shrug. "I mean, Bedell has confirmed his story, and Bedell's a trustworthy guy. But it'll take a lot more than that to convince people you're the real deal."

"I think people are looking for something to believe in already," Allison pointed out. "If he can motivate them, if he can teach them new tactics, if he can make them believe we can win…I think they'll follow him."

"I say we start right here," John said. "This bunker. We need to gather all the soldiers together so I can speak to them."

Derek slowly nodded in acknowledgement. "You got it, Connor."

It didn't take long for Derek and Kyle to round up the people in Depot 2. There were less than a hundred of them, all looking worn out, dirty, hungry and hopeless, just like Allison had said.

"Okay," John began. All the fighters looked at him skeptically, no doubt expecting Kyle or Derek to be speaking at this meeting.

"My name is John Connor. I don't know if you've been told this or not, but the two major portions of the resistance have been united and the Triple 8 factory is destroyed."

Obviously, this was news to the fighters, because several of their eyes widened. Derek stepped forward, grinning wryly.

"You think that's surprising news?" he asked. "Well, John Connor here is the one who destroyed it."

"Single-handedly," Allison added with a grin of her own.

"That's not true," John said under his breath. "You helped."

Allison snorted. "Please…I carried a package of C4. You're the one who not only had the courage to attempt the impossible, but also the intelligence and assets to carry it out."

_And I had Weaver's help, _John thought. Though that could be what she meant by "assets."

"_He _destroyed an entire Trip8 factory?" one soldier asked, his voice filled with disbelief. "He's just a kid."

John frowned. "I resent that. I'm seventeen."

"He was three on J-Day," the soldier retorted. "What makes him so special?"

Kyle and Derek had already advised John not to say anything about being from the future to anyone else. It was that part of his story that they'd been the least inclined to believe, until Martin Bedell had confirmed knowing a teenage John in 2007, when, without time travel, John at that time wouldn't have even been born yet. But not everyone would believe Bedell because many didn't even know him. Kyle had formed a close knit relationship with Martin before John showed up, so he knew Bedell's word could be trusted.

"I know how Skynet works," John began. "I know how the machines work. I know how to destroy them."

An older soldier with a thick beard took a tentative step forward. "You mean…you can help us destroy Skynet?" John heard a waver in the man's voice, and he frowned, cocking his head to study the man.

"Who is that?" he asked Derek.

Derek smiled. "That's Billy Wisher. He's a good man. Like a brother to me." His smile quickly faded as he regarded John with a raised eyebrow. "Why?"

John shrugged. "He just looked familiar."

"Kid, I think it'd be rare for you to see someone who looked familiar," Derek replied easily. "Being that you're not from around here."

"I _am_ from around here," John corrected. "I'm just…from a different time."

"Um…Connor?"

John turned back to see Wisher still standing there, eyes questioning, waiting for John to answer his query.

"Oh, yes," John stated in response. "We're going to destroy Skynet. But first, you guys need a plan. No more of this 'hide the entrance and hope they're too blind to find it' crap. We need to set up a trap. Have everyone use the back entrance to come and go. Wire the front door into the electricity. Have traps at the other entrances. It can be as simple as a bucket of water, a live wire, and some kind of alarm system."

"Tell them about how you took out that Terminator," Derek suggested.

"Okay, so say you electrocute a Triple 8. When a Terminator goes down, you have one hundred twenty seconds before it reboots. So here's what you do."

Allison came forward and sat down in front of him and he pointed to the right side of her head. "The Terminator's chip port is right here. You use a knife and cut a circle in the head, and you pull out the chip and destroy it. That's the only way you can kill it."

"Alright," he continued, glancing over at Derek. "Colonel Reese will help you start setting up some traps around here."

Derek leaned in closer. "I'm only a Lieutenant."

"Congrats," John shot back quickly. "You've been promoted." He turned back to the soldiers, still seeing several dejected faces among them.

"Alright, listen up, guys," he said, projecting determination into his voice. "I know what it must have been like for you, having to run all the time, facing a doomed future, fighting a losing war. I just want to say I know what you're feeling. My entire life, I've been running from these machines. It seemed like that's all we were doing, me and my mother. Moving from place to place, not being able to stay anywhere for too long…because no one is ever safe. But now, the time has come to stop running. Today is the day the Resistance is reborn. You now have more allies than you ever have before. You have the power to make a difference in this fight."

He paused, glancing over at Allison, who gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm not saying this will be easy," he continued. "This _is_ a war, a devastating and bloody war. But we can win it. I'm going to help lead you to victory. Sometimes we'll have to make sacrifices. You can't always be a hero. We won't be able to save everybody." He knew that more than anybody. Because he'd lost everybody.

He swallowed hard, pushing back down the horrible memories of Charlie, Riley, Derek, and Cameron's deaths. "It will be hard," he said. "But you'll have to listen to me in this. Some of you will be asked to give your lives for this cause. It has to be something you believe is worth fighting for. We're fighting to stop the machines. We're fighting for mankind, for humanity. We're fighting for the future.

"My mother used to say this to me," he continued. "This future is not set. There is no fate but what we make. So what fate are we going to make? Are we just going to sit back and let Skynet decide our fate for us?"

"No!" Derek and Allison shouted in response. Slowly, some of the other resistance fighters in the crowd began to raise their heads and John could see their faces harden with determination.

"There is no fate but what we make," John repeated. "Are you ready to stop running? Are you ready to fight?"

This time the chorus of 'yes' was heard from nearly all the resistance fighters. John allowed himself a small smile. This was the time, the start of the real war.

"We're going to stop Skynet. We're going to take back the future. We're going to win."

**********

John walked down the hall, spotting resistance fighter Billy Wisher working on rigging the electricity into the front door handle. Wisher was definitely older than Derek and even Martin, and he worked with the electrical wiring like a pro. But what really struck John about Billy was his undeniable intensity. He was one of the most determined fighters John had seen so far, so eager and ready to take down Skynet. But there was also something else about Wisher that was different from the others, _off _even. If John wanted to put words to the look that sometimes appeared on Wisher's face, he would have to say 'guilt'. But that didn't make sense. Because what on earth could Wisher possibly feel guilty about?

Billy looked up at John as the young general approached. "How am I doing, Connor?"

John nodded his approval. Wisher certainly had some technological proficiency. "You look kind of familiar," John said, squinting hard at the soldier's face.

Wisher shrugged, stroking his beard. "I don't know why. I've never seen you before in my life."

He turned back to the wiring, leaving John to merely shake his head. _Maybe I've just seen him around the camp before. _That _had _to be it, John told himself.

"Connor!"

John looked up to see Martin running up. John turned back to Wisher, giving him a friendly smile. "See ya later, Wisher." Billy merely nodded.

John shifted his attention to Bedell. "What's going on?"

"I've got my troops together," Martin replied. "You ready to give them that special motivational speech?"

Bedell brought John down the hall to where he'd gathered his troops. All of them rose and stood at attention when Bedell entered.

"Hello, soldiers," Bedell began. "Today, we have a special guest, the hero who destroyed the trip 8 factory. I'd like you all to give him your undivided attention." Bedell gestured to John with a broad grin. "Meet my friend, John Connor. He's the one who's going to beat the crap out of Skynet. This is his life's ambition and I intend to help him achieve it. Connor?"

John smiled. He remembered when Bedell said something similar at P. Alto. Shaking off the memory, he stepped forward to address the crowd.

***********

_He'd noticed her, of course. As soon as he'd entered his first period room, she'd caught his eye, the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid eyes on. But, determined not to make a fool of himself, he purposely avoided eye contact with her, staring straight ahead as the teacher began his lesson. _

_"What's your name?"_

_He'd jerked his head around, briefly wondering if he was daydreaming this. But no. The beautiful dark-haired girl was leaning forward, staring at him in anticipation of his response._

_"John," he managed to get out. _

_She smiled and he felt his heart jump. "Cameron," she replied. John nodded, trying to be nonchalant while on the inside he was feeling excited and confused at the same time. Why would a girl like _her _be talking to the new weird kid? What were the odds that the prettiest girl in school would also be the nicest? _

_It had been hard to keep her off his mind for the rest of the period, but he'd managed, moving from his seat quickly as soon as the bell rang. He'd tried to tell himself that she probably wouldn't even speak to him again. Maybe the teacher had merely asked her to introduce herself just to make him feel welcome in their school. Yeah, that had to be it._

_He shoved his book into his backpack and suddenly heard another set of footsteps next to his, almost perfectly in synch._

_"John," Cameron greeted._

_He turned to look, unable to hold back a smile. Maybe she really was just friendly. "Hey."_

_"I haven't seen you around before," she spoke as they walked toward his locker. "Did you just move here?"_

_"Uh, yeah," John said, nodding quickly and forcing a smile. He hated talking about moving. Not to mention, he wasn't really _allowed _to discuss the intimate details of his life with a complete stranger. No matter how pretty she was or how nice she seemed._

_She laughed lightly. "That sucks for you."_

_His smile widened and he found her laughter contagious. She had a sense of humor. He liked that. He approached his locker and quickly spun in the combination he'd memorized the night before._

_"So what's your dad do? My dad sells tractors."_

_John kept his face impassive when inside he was slowly crumbling. My dad's dead…or not born yet, depending on which version of him we're talking about. "Insurance," he improvised._

_"Really?" she asked curiously. "What kind?"_

_A sinking feeling slowly settled in his gut. Why would she be so inquisitive? He'd picked insurance specifically because it _wasn't _interesting. Most normal people would hear it and drop the subject, not wanting to be bored. So was Cameron just naturally overly friendly or was there some deeper purpose behind her questions?_

_"The boring kind," he replied._

_She laughed again, though he didn't understand what was so funny. "That's the kind of tractors my dad sells. What about your mom?"_

_The red flag was going off inside his brain and he scrambled for an excuse. "Uh, I really got to get to the next class, so…"_

_He trailed off and her face seemed to fall. "So…" she repeated hopefully. "Maybe I'll see you later?"_

_He nodded quickly, eager for her to leave, eager to sort out the conflicting thoughts running through his head. "Sure."_

_She smiled once more before saying, "Bye."_

_"Bye," he repeated, watching as she walked down the hall. Who was she and why was she so interested in his life? It was possible that she simply liked him and wanted to get to know him, but John knew better than to divulge any information. He also knew better than to get attached, but for some reason, he found himself hanging onto her hopeful words "Maybe I'll see you later."_

_He hoped so._

_In computer class, he decided to do a little research on her. He kept telling himself it was just a background check, to make sure she wasn't some kind of uncover cop searching for the Connors. But in his heart, he was really just curious about her too. He now understood her own interest as well. _

_He found her listed as CAMERON PHILLIPS. There was a really good picture of her in the records and he found himself staring at it for a few seconds longer than necessary._

_"You're full of secrets," a soft voice behind him said. _

_John's eyes widened and he quickly minimized the computer windows, turning around to see Cameron standing over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised as she stared at his screen. John felt his heart rate quicken. How much had she seen? Did she know he'd been looking her up? Did that give away the fact that he was interested in her?_

_He'd stumbled through the rest of the conversation, being forced to turn down her invitation, her request that he help her with computers. She was hurt, he knew, and he felt awful, all because his mother was an uptight control freak…with good reason. _

_When he arrived home, Sarah had sat down on the edge of his bed, asking, "Did you meet any pretty girls?"_

_A small smile quirked the edges of his mouth, but he flat-out lied, "No. I told you it's a hick town."_

_He should have known he couldn't fool his mother. She nudged him gently. "Come on…"_

_He didn't speak, merely grinned, and she smiled, already knowing the answer. _

John's eyes opened slowly in the dark and he rolled over in his cot, sighing heavily. He could imagine that conversation happening now.

_Hey, John, how was your first day in the future? Meet any pretty girls? _He closed his eyes, remembering how he'd felt when he'd seen Allison, standing behind his father, petting the German Shepherd dog.

_Yes. _

_But it wasn't Cameron. _

John reached down beneath the bunk, fingers brushing against Max's soft fur. The puppy's cold, wet tongue licked his hand, whining happily. John pulled the puppy up into the cot and Max snuggled in next to John.

"Merry Christmas, Max," John whispered quietly, staring up into the darkness. He unconsciously reached for the pocket watch dangling around his neck, popping it open. For a moment, he wished she'd put a picture of herself inside, something he could remember her with. Even if the necklace was originally designed to kill her.

And now, he had a living picture of Cameron just a few doors down, no doubt sleeping soundly, another trait that reminded him that Allison and Cameron were two different people who looked identical.

_Looked. _

As strange as it would seem to anyone else, he knew deep in his heart that he could never love the human version as much as he loved the cyborg.

_I'm not replacing you, Cameron, _he promised himself. Nothing could ever take her place, not even Allison. He knew that. Because every time he looked at Allison, he thought of Cameron. The way he kept dreaming about her, the way his mind kept reminding him of her, even when he didn't want to think about it, only proved to him even further that he truly loved her.

_So watch out, John Henry, _he thought darkly. It didn't matter what Weaver said about John Henry being on the "good" side. John had come to this future for one purpose and one purpose only: to find John Henry and get back Cameron's chip. This was just a minor delay for his ultimate goal. _I've been chosen to lead the resistance, but I'm coming for you. I'm coming for _her.

_And I'm taking back her future._

* * *

**Next: **John continues his campaign, making a visit to a bunker where he meets some people from his past

_author's note: Okay, for those of you who were thinking "hey, Andy Goode was killed..." I know, and I actually have a very good explanation for how he's still alive, which will be explained in a later chapter. _


	6. Born to Care

_author's note: Okay, so it's Monday, and I just saw the fall lineup for FOX. It's officially cancelled...and I was very upset to say the least. I guess this story has become my very own season three, and its the closest I'll ever get to finding out what happens next for the Connors. So, don't worry. This story will continue even though the series has been (forgive the pun) terminated. _

_First of all, for those of you who were confused, John still has the pocket watch because he found it in the desert safehouse. Secondly, just because John has realized he can never love anyone like Cameron doesn't necessarily mean he can't care for Allison. Yes, rest assured, this is going to be Jameron. Eventually. But, in order for Skynet to choose Allison as Cameron's model to infiltrate John's camp, John HAS to be close to Allison. Just something to keep in mind._

_King Steve - The "no fate" quote is just one of many paradoxes coming. :) You're right, John's entire life is basically a paradox. As for Wisher, I'd actually written him into the story, remembered that Derek killed him, wrote him out, then came up with an explanation for why he's still around and wrote him back, thus making this story truly more like the original timeline (as in everything will work out exactly as its supposed to). It may be a while before John learns the truth in the story, but don't worry, the explanation is coming._

_Ionia J. Don't worry, the story will not end with John finding Cameron. In fact, by the time Cameron comes back into the picture, the story will only be about halfway over. SO there's still a lot to happen with Cameron in the resistance. As for his mom, yes, I've got a chapter coming that almost focuses entirely on John's bond with his mother. He hasn't forgotten her. And yes, it's looking to be a long continuation. With the outline I have now, it's close to thirty chapters give or take._

_TermFan1980 - So, I had you going there for a few chapters? Maybe, it will still turn into a little bit of Jallison. Maybe I'm still throwing you off with the last chapter. Because technically this has to turn semi-Jallison for it to fit in with what happens with Cameron's return. You'll just have to wait and see._

_raging-vampires - Good call. Actually Jesse and Riley are going to be coming in play...quite a bit actually. Hope you like it. _

_Scott-17 - Yes, John Connor will eventually grow a little tougher and more like the true leader Future-John. _

_The Emphaty Turtle - As I said above, don't count Allison out yet. Just because it will eventually turn into Jameron doesn't mean Allison won't have her moments. I'd like to think this is the way it would actually have gone in the original timeline. John has to get close to Allison in order to get Cameron._

* * *

_Previously on Born to Fight: John's destruction of the Triple 8 factory has left him as somewhat of a celebrity in Depot 2 and he has begun his NO FATE campaign, speaking in front of the soldiers in an attempt to bring hope back into the resistance. John is dedicated to finding Cameron and has begun to realize that he could never love anyone as much as he loved her, though seeing Allison still tortures him. He still has the picture of Sarah Connor that he found in the desert safehouse._

**Chapter Six:**

**Born to Care**

_**January 17, 2025**_

_**Depot 84**_

"I don't know, Derek," John winced as he came out of the meeting hall. This was the third bunker he'd spoken to, but unlike the first two, they hadn't received him as well as he'd hoped. He was met with more skepticism and distaste than awe and respect. "I don't really think they believed me. They don't trust a kid to do this. They're not even sure the Trip 8 ambush was factual."

"I had a feeling this might happen," Derek agreed, shrugging. "With the previous two camps, the soldiers knew me and Bedell, and that was the only thing that convinced them that you were telling the truth. They knew that _we _would never advocate you unless we knew you were who you say. These camps just won't take our word for it because they don't even know us that well, if at all." Derek paused, studying John intently. "Maybe it's best if John Connor is not be seen too much by the general public. After all, it took a lot for you to convince Kyle and me you were the real deal, and there's only so many Trip 8 factories you can blow."

"So if they won't listen, how will we lead them?" John questioned. How could he lead them if they didn't believe him?

"You let us speak on your behalf," Derek replied easily. "Me and Kyle. Or even Martin. Have us continue the Connor campaign. We make them think John Connor is a brilliant military leader who's concentrating all his efforts on the war."

_Stretch the truth in other words_. John frowned. He didn't like that, and he wasn't even sure it would work. "Will they believe you without actually seeing me?" he asked, voice dripping with skepticism. Why would the resistance believe in the acts of a man they'd never met? A man they barely knew existed?

Derek pursed his lips thoughtfully. "John…did you ever have to read the book _1984 _in English?"

"As opposed to in Spanish?"

"No, I mean like in English class," Derek said, rolling his eyes. "When you were in high school."

John frowned, thinking back and then nodding slowly. He'd never actually finished high school and he'd skipped English class often, but he vaguely remembered being required to read it. The book had dealt with a futuristic government that basically killed off anyone who opposed it. He'd found it quite ironic, since that was the year Kyle Reese had showed up from the future, the year the Terminator had first tried to kill his mother. The beginning of the end.

"Yeah. What about it?"

"You remember Big Brother?" John knit his eyebrows together, trying to recall any knowledge he still held of the book. Come to think of it, he wasn't sure he'd ever actually finished reading it...

Derek explained, "He was their leader, the figure everyone worshiped, the one everyone obeyed, followed without question. The one they looked to for guidance, for hope. But…Big Brother wasn't even a real person. It was someone created, an _idea _made up to be their leader."

He paused, letting the implications of that sink in. John began to see where his uncle was going with this. "See," Derek continued. "We could simply make up our own 'John Connor'. He may be real, he may not. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what they believe. They just need something, some_one_ to believe in. They need someone to have hope in. The fact that you actually _are _real and are truly working to stop Skynet just adds to the legend. That's what you _are, _John. You'll become a legend to them. You may not even do all the things they say, but you'll become the icon, the symbol of the resistance."

Derek cracked a smile. "Like I said before, you're gonna be famous."

"So, what does that mean? I run this war from the shadows? You think people won't obey me because I'm young?"

"I'm saying you may need your own camp," Derek corrected. "Depot 2 is great for most purposes, but eventually you need to form your own Connor camp, allowing access only to those you trust completely. You can run some things from there, and no one will question your orders because you won't be giving them on the field."

John shook his head adamantly. He wasn't going to sit back and direct people to their deaths. If he was going to lead them, he was actually going to _lead _them. He had to. "I can't just sit back and let Skynet–-"

"I'm not saying that," Derek interrupted, holding up his hands in what appeared to be an attempt at placating John. "All I'm saying is you need a place where you can strategize with people who won't be biased about your age or apparent lack of experience. One of these days, you're gonna need a Connor camp."

_But I have to be more than just a legend to these people, _John thought to himself. _I have to help fight alongside them. I actually have to _win _this war._

He saw Derek's point, but he only agreed with him halfway. For now, yes, John Connor could not be introduced to the people as a weak wanna-be kid general. Derek was right about that. So Kyle and Derek became John's unofficial spokespersons. He made them memorize his speech and deliver it with conviction and determination. He taught them all the traps and devices that the bunkers could set up to catch and destroy Terminator intruders.

Even so, he and Allison continued to go along on the Connor Campaign, mostly so John could continue to see what he had to work with. He did see an increased percentage of those who actually believed Derek and Kyle's words. Everyone had a renewed hope, especially when they received instructions on how to kill Terminators, learn how to spot them, and set traps for any infiltrators.

For the next seven months, the Connor Campaign traveled to every bunker they could find, rallying the resistance and helping them prepare for Terminator attacks. Bedell's men were also making preparations for the start of the real full-scale war, fixing up trucks and jeeps and equipping them with machine guns and rocket launchers.

John decided to take the last bunker, making the speech himself and training the soldiers. Derek and Kyle had been all too eager to get back to Depot 2, working with Bedell to prep the forces. John didn't blame them. If he'd actually been making the No Fate speech for all these months, he'd probably be sick and tired of it too.

"Alright," John said as he and Allison walked through the halls. "This is the last bunker and then it's back to Depot 2."

"Finally," Allison grumbled good-naturedly. "You know, I think _I've _memorized your speech by now, just from hearing it so many times."

John smirked, but stopped his reply as a resistance fighter came walking up to them eagerly. "Welcome to Goldfish Bunker."

John raised a curious eyebrow. "Goldfish?"

The fighter cracked a smile. "Private joke. See, we're right near the ocean. Even got our hands on a submarine from before J-Day. We've got some engineers working on fixing it up again." He paused, staring at them puzzled. "I thought John Connor himself was coming."

John exchanged a glance with Allison and she smirked. "Oh, I'd say he's pretty close."

The soldier looked a little skeptical, but quickly moved on, "Are you the only two who came with him? Cuz we only have one empty room right now. Will that be okay with you?"

John swallowed hard, casting a sideways glance at Allison. The fighter looked between them, uncomfortable with the silence.

"Well, it's either that or you can sleep in the hallway where you'll be the first warning of a Triple 8 intruder."

"How's that?" John asked.

The soldier grinned wickedly. "He'll kill you first and your screaming would be an alarm system for the rest of the bunker."

John crinkled his nose in disgust. "Um, no thanks, the room will be fine." He glanced over at Allison. "Right?"

She shrugged impassively. "Yeah, I guess."

"Unless you want me to be a Terminator target in the hall," John added.

"No!" she insisted quickly. "The room is fine. No sense in getting John Connor killed before he can save us all."

The fighter looked at John, raising an eyebrow skeptically, eyes widening. "_You're _John Connor?"

John sighed and nodded to the fighter. "Yes, hi, I'm John Connor. Who are you?"

"Dietze," the soldier replied slowly, studying John with a bit of disgust. "How old are you?"

"Old enough to know more about machines than you probably ever will."

Dietze rolled his eyes. "Right…well, you just hang out here for a while till we gather everyone." Without another word, the soldier moved away, shaking his head. John could have sworn he heard an incredulous chuckle under his breath.

Maybe he'd made a mistake in choosing _this _bunker to give his own speech in.

"Alright," Allison said with a deep breath. "And so begins month seven of the Connor Campaign. Is it just me or is this getting kind of old?"

Much as he agreed with her, listening to Derek give the 'John Connor is your hero' speech and all the Terminator hunting training courses was starting to wear on him, but he knew that this was necessary. The Resistance was finally coming together.

"This is important," John said aloud. "People need to know we're on their side, that we're all sticking together."

"Seems like we should be fighting, though," Allison pointed out.

"Let me ask you this: is it better to jump into a fight halfway prepared or wait a little longer, allowing the enemy some ground, in order to be fully ready when the time comes?"

She sighed, playfully hitting him on the arm. "See, this is why you're the leader of mankind and not me."

"It's not like we're not doing _anything,_" John added. "Derek and Kyle are helping Bedell organize the battle forces."

"John Baum?" A masculine voice shouted, tinged with disbelief. "What the heck are you doing here?"

John was thinking the same thing as he turned to study the soldier who apparently knew him. "It's John Connor, actually. Baum was an alias."

"Jason Reynolds," the soldier said, grinning boyishly. "We went to school together in LA."

John remembered all right. Jason had been a jock and he'd had an enormous and somewhat embarrassing crush on Cameron. John assumed Jason was over it by now. After all, he had to be at least thirty years old at this point. But Jason recognized Cameron nonetheless.

"And Cameron!" he exclaimed cheerfully, holding out a hand.

Allison shook it, though she shot John a look that said 'I'm confused and officially weirded out.'

"It's not Cameron," John explained to Jason.

Jason cocked an eyebrow, obviously thinking John was joking. "You're kidding, right?"

"I'm Allison Young," Allison introduced herself.

Jason raised an eyebrow, studying her closely before it finally seemed to sink in that John was speaking the truth. "Sorry," he said hastily, yanking his hand back. "You just look a lot like this girl I used to go to school with. She hung out with John all the time too." He shrugged, trying to defend himself. "It's a mistake anybody could have made."

"Right, because everybody has a twin, huh?" Allison replied, repeating John's phrase.

Jason nodded emphatically. "Exactly." He glanced back at John, eyeing him suspiciously. "John, what's wrong with you? You don't look a day over seventeen."

"That's cuz I'm not," John replied with a sigh. _Everyone I meet says the same thing. _"I time traveled from 2009."

Jason stared at him skeptically before bursting out laughing. "Time travel? Even Skynet can't do that, and it's the most advanced piece of technology on the planet. Time travel," he repeated with a snort. "You expect me to believe that?"

"You believe that sentient computers have taken over the world," John replied easily.

Jason opened his mouth to retort, but quickly closed it. "Touché. But now this is kind of awkward, cuz you're literally half my age and I was like cheating off you in algebra class."

John smiled slightly. "That's okay. I was cheating off Cameron." Okay, so it wasn't technically cheating, she'd just always _helped _him with his homework. Or completely done it for him. In five minutes time.

"So," Jason trailed off, looking at John with a cocked eyebrow. "Well, I suppose I better get you all settled, though I must say we expected someone a little…older."

"Everybody says that."

Jason laughed lightly. "But you should hear all the talk that's been going around. 'John Connor is coming! The hero of mankind, the great legend himself!'" Jason winced, looking down at John. "I'm not sure how they're gonna react to seeing a kid. But I guess we're about to find out."

Jason led John into a small meeting room where a group of soldiers waited patiently. Most of the faces were alive with excitement and anticipation, some seemed slightly bored. John recognized Dietze, who still looked skeptical.

But there was someone else among them, someone who appeared to be one of the higher ranking officers.

He recognized her instantly and his fist clenched involuntarily, teeth ground together and he could almost _taste _the hate in his mouth.

Jesse Flores.

She had spotted her "great hero" as soon as he entered the room, and he watched her eagerness and great expectations fade as her face twisted into a look that undoubtedly meant, "is this a joke? Where's the real John Connor?"

John curled his lip and his muscles tensed as he tried to resist the urge to pull his gun and shoot her where she stood. Jesse had caused him so much strife in the short time he'd known her. She'd pushed him and Cameron apart by bringing Riley into the past. Not only had she betrayed John Connor in that way, but she'd actually _killed _Riley and framed Cameron for it because Cameron hadn't acted against Riley like Jesse had wanted. He could feel the dark hatred boiling underneath his skin, settling in his stomach. He would never hate anyone as much as he hated Jesse Flores.

Her roving gaze looked from Allison to him, eyes betraying both suspicion and disgust. "How old are you?"

John stood up taller, making his face hard and commanding. "Almost eighteen." _Well, in about three months._

"This is John Connor," Allison announced helpfully. "The man who took down the Triple 8 factory."

Jesse scoffed. "He's not a man, he's a kid."

"Yeah, but I've seen more than you," John said, taking a step forward and looking Jesse in the eyes, feeling his face heat up with fury. "I know more than you. It even feels like I've lived longer. I'm _better _than you."

_I don't murder children._

Jesse seemed to back down at the strength in his voice and the blazing determination in his eyes. "Hmm…maybe he'll be a leader after all."

"You believe that _this _kid blew up that factory?" Dietze exclaimed in incredulity.

A softer voice spoke up. "I think maybe we should listen to him."

Jesse pursed her lips, nodding thoughtfully. "Cully's right. Connor may be young, but maybe he has something that can help us. So, what do you say, Connor? Any words of wisdom to offer some poor, inexperienced soldiers?"

He ignored the mocking way in which she said it, instead taking a deep, calming breath before speaking, "Actually, I do."

***********

He'd spent the entire day hooking up electrical traps throughout the Goldfish bunker, but now John Connor thrashed around in his sleep, his mind flashing back to the fateful day in Weaver's office, bursting through the basement door, finding Cameron deactivated and in John Henry's place….her words scrolling I'M SORRY JOHN on the screen over and over again…the absolute desperation he'd felt.

All John Henry's fault. He didn't even care if Weaver was right, if John Henry was fighting Skynet. John Henry had killed Cameron and the feeling of dark rage settled in John's stomach as his emotions threatened to explode.

_He'd got her chip. He's got her._

He had the sudden vision of John Henry crouching by Cameron's limp form, knife in hand, cutting a perfect circle in her head, taking out her chip and putting it in his own head. Cameron's murder. Cameron's murderer.

"Nooooo!" he shouted out loud, jerking awake in his bed, screaming into the darkness, "I'll kill you!"

He'd completely forgotten that Allison was sleeping in the same room until he heard her sit up in her own bed, the cot creaking as she got off of it.

He was breathing heavily, swallowing hard, trying to still his racing heart. It was so vivid, so real…and seeing Cameron's mirror image appear next to him made it all the worse.

Allison had come over, her face a mask of fear and worry, placing a cool hand on his forehead. John was sweating from the panic, but he knew he didn't have a fever or anything. It was just a nightmare.

"What was it about?" Allison asked softly.

John closed his eyes, letting out his breath loudly. "Right before I time-traveled."

She didn't understand, of course, but she also knew better than to prod. John's breathing slowed to normal and he laid his head back down on the pillow, closing his eyes.

Allison was still sitting at his bedside, making no move to leave and he quickly clutched her hand, making sure she understood he didn't want her to go. He needed something, _someone. _This was a skill of hers. She always seemed to make him feel better. She'd done it for him the first night he'd arrived, after he broke down crying about Cameron, Derek, his mother… Allison was a caring person. Despite her own fatigue and probably discomfort, she remained there the entire night, even after he'd finally fallen asleep again, her hand resting comfortingly in his, sitting on the cold, hard floor right beside his bed.

He didn't have another nightmare.

*******

"They're making progress," John said to Allison, checking out some of the Terminator traps now present in the camp. He hadn't talked to her any more about his nightmare and he was glad that she didn't ask. He still wasn't sure what to think when it came to her. He'd already decided, already acknowledged that he could never love anyone like he'd loved Cameron. But he could care. He could care about Allison, and she could care about him. That alone couldn't be betrayal, could it? Was he cheating on Cameron with her human counterpart by merely _having _these feelings?

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind as they walked through the civilian tunnel. A young teenager suddenly darted past him, dirty blonde hair waving as she moved to a corner of the tunnel and sat down, clutching a small piece of bread, her face now in full view of him.

His footsteps halted and for a split second he couldn't breathe. Because he _knew _that girl.

It was Riley.

She was younger than the Riley he knew, couldn't be any older than thirteen or fourteen, but even so, he was still able to recognize her. His heart jumped into his throat. All these people resurrected from the dead, destined to repeat the mistakes that would get them killed again.

A sudden thought struck him. He could warn her. Somehow, he could keep her away from Jesse. He could make sure Jesse never brought Riley back into the past. He could make sure Riley _lived_.

But…

What if Riley not being in his past changed something? It was because of Riley that Cameron got jealous. It was because of Riley that he and Cameron had had their late night conversation on his bed. It was because of Riley that he and Cameron had, essentially, grown closer. Eventually.

What if by not letting Riley go to the past, he and Cameron never actually got together? What if he messed up the timeline even more? And was it fair to Riley, forcing her to stay in this war-ravaged future, where she was constantly dirty and starving? Would she think it was worth it, going back to paradise for a time, even if it ultimately meant her death?

Allison saw his tortured face and followed his gaze over to Riley. "You know her?"

John considered telling her that he'd met Riley in the past, that she'd time traveled. But then he'd have to explain _why_ she'd returned. He'd have to explain that she had come to keep him from getting close to Cameron, which meant he'd have to explain that Cameron wasn't human, that Cameron was a machine.

And he wasn't ready to do that.

"No," he lied. "She just looked familiar."

*********

John wiped the sweat off his brow as he finished rewiring the electricity in the bunker. Allison was off in another section, teaching some soldiers how to remove Terminator chips, a process she now knew by heart. Jason Reynolds approached John and held out a small package.

"Your food rations for the day, Baum—I mean, Connor," the corner of Jason's mouth twitched into a smile. "Sorry. Having an alias must be confusing."

John took the package gratefully, nodding his agreement with Jason's statement. "You have no idea. I have had…" he paused, counting the number of time's he'd used a different name. "…well, a lot."

He opened up his pack of rations before a thought struck him. "Can you tell me how to get back to the civilian tunnel?"

Less than ten minutes later, John was wandering through the dim-lit tunnel once more, hearing the crying of fearful children, seeing the dirty faces. He soon realized that the civilians reacted to him differently than the soldiers did. The resistance fighters, most of them at least, were still somewhat skeptical of him, especially because of his age. But the tunnel rats…they seemed to look up to him. Maybe it was just because of the way he walked, the determination. Maybe they saw a strength in him. Maybe they just trusted easier, since they rarely had contact with the machines. He didn't know the reason; he just knew the tunnels seemed to grow hushed with reverence when he entered.

He'd only been searching for about five minutes, still clutching the little package of food rations in his hand, when he finally saw her again.

Riley was thin, dirty, and bruised, no doubt starving. She was a 'rat-catcher' as Allison called them. Survivors who could do nothing but thrive on whatever little food they received.

He felt a terrible pain in his heart. What kind of life was this? Riley looked up, made eye contact with him once before staring back down at the floor. John walked over to her and held out his food ration. "Here, you want this?"

Her eyes widened, but to his surprise she refused to take it. "I can't," she said quietly, avoiding eye contact with him. "You're John Connor."

John cocked his head. "But I'm not hungry," he lied, hoping his stomach wouldn't choose that moment to rumble and expose his fib. "We wouldn't want it to go to waste, would we?"

She finally looked up at him, then reached out tentatively and gently took the ration pack. "No, we wouldn't want it to go to waste." She bit into it eagerly, eyes straying back towards him.

"You're younger than I thought you'd be," she remarked in between mouthfuls of food.

He shrugged impassively. "Even Einstein was a kid once, right?"

"Who's Einstein?"

"Never mind."

He stood to leave, but she grabbed his arm, staring up at him with adoring eyes. "You're the kindest person I've ever met. It's no wonder you're our savior."

The way she smiled at him, the awestruck, reverent look in her eyes… it made his heart break. Because he knew what happened to people close to John Connor.

_I wonder if you would be saying that if you knew what happens to you because of me. If you knew that you die because of me._

_Everybody dies for me. _

**********

_John stood in the doorway, watching with pure shock as Cameron stood across the room, playing foosball with Jody. What dumbfounded him was the expression on her face: the _joy _that he'd never seen before. It was so real, so human. _

_"What are you doing?" he demanded._

_She merely raised her eyebrows. "Playing foosball," she stated as if it were completely obvious._

_"We have to go," John insisted. _

_"Go?" she repeated, confusion filling her eyes. "Go where?"_

_"Home," John said, jaw clenched. What was going on with her? _

_"Home? Who are you?" That hurt him more than anything, cut deeply. How could she not know him? I'm John Connor! I love you!_

_"Cameron…" he began._

_"My name's Allison," she said, frowning at him. _

_"No, it's not, it's Cameron," he said through gritted teeth. He didn't understand at the time who Allison was. "I don't have time to explain. We have to go."_

_Cameron – Allison – had taken a half step backward, shaking her head slowly. "You're freaking me out."_

_John leveled his gaze at her, eyes burning intently. "I'm freaking you out?"_

_Cameron was staring back at him through fearful eyes and John felt a pang of sadness. "Do you really not know who you are?"_

_"I'm Allison," she insisted. "From Palmdale."_

_John wanted to tear out his hair in frustration. "You're not Allison. You're not from Palmdale, you're from the future. You're a machine."_

_Her face quickly melted into the usual stoic, expressionless Cameron. John took a step backwards, furrowing his brow. "Cameron? Allison?"_

_"I love you, John, and you love me," Cameron said, her voice monotone, with just a hint of emotion. The polar opposite of Allison._

_Allison, who could display fear, joy. Allison who could feel, who was human. When he looked back at Cameron, he saw her staring coolly at something behind him and he turned to see that she hadn't really been playing foosball with Jody. Allison was standing behind him, her bright smile the only thing that differentiated her from Cameron._

_But Cameron wasn't without emotion or feelings of her own. Her face had twisted into a look of ultimate grief. "John…don't you still love me?"_

_He felt like he'd been stabbed in the heart with a dagger. How was he supposed to respond to that? _Of course I love you Cam! _He spun around to see Allison, her face mirroring Cameron's look of sorrow._

_"John, do you love me?"_

_John breath came faster as he looked between them, his mind whirling with conflict. He knew deep in his heart, had already decided that he could never love Allison the way he had loved Cameron. But… did they mean he couldn't love her at all? It would be different, he knew that. But that didn't mean he couldn't care about her, as a friend if nothing else. _

_He dropped to the floor of the halfway house arcade, realizing for the first time that everyone else in the room was gone. He buried his face in his hands, squeezing his eyes shut. One of them, he wasn't sure if it was Cameron or Allison, came over and put a hand on his shoulder._

_When he opened his eyes again, all he saw was darkness._

John stared up at the dark ceiling, blinking away the dream, sweating and panting heavily. How bizarre was that? Allison had worked her way into his dreams, even if it was in Cameron's form.

He rolled off his bunk, careful not to make too much noise. He wasn't sure why he did it; his feet had seemed to have a mind of their own, or maybe it was just his unconscious desire to be near her after his conflicted dream. Whatever the reason, he found himself sitting on the edge of Allison's cot, watching her sleeping fitfully.

He'd always hated it when his mother did this. But now he understood why Sarah and even Cameron on their last night together had done the same. There was something soothing about watching someone sleep peacefully. With Allison, it was the only thing that really set her apart from Cameron. Cameron didn't sleep. He never had the opportunity to watch her. But seeing Allison…her serene face holding none of the worry or fear that usually showed on their missions…it was comforting. He wished he'd been able to do this with Cameron.

Her eyes fluttered open, some sixth sense warning her that someone was watching. Upon seeing him, she jerked upright, startled and disoriented.

"Don't do that," she muttered, but he could hear the smile in her voice.

He grinned faintly. "Sorry."

"What's wrong?" she asked, briefly scanning the room for anything out of the ordinary…besides him sitting on her bed, of course.

"Nothing," he whispered.

"Did you have a dream again?"

John hesitated. "Yes."

"Was it about her?"

"Kind of."

She situated herself on the bed, obviously preparing for a long story, but John stood up quickly.

_I can't do this…_ "No," he whispered. This wasn't _right. _"You're not her."

Allison's face fell and he could see the hurt in her eyes. He could only shake his head again, feeling his own eyes brimming.

_She's not Cameron. She's not Cameron. She's not Cameron._

_She'll never _be _Cameron. It's not the same. _"I'm sorry," he whispered, retreating to his own side of the room, refusing to look at her again. He wouldn't be able to bear seeing Cameron's face looking so sad. He _hated _when Cameron was sad or upset. He'd only seen it a few times in his entire life.

Once was just now, in his dream. _John, don't you love me?_

*********

John had spoken briefly to Allison, apologizing for his reaction the night before. She'd been very understanding and caring towards him, but he'd made it a point to subtly avoid her for the rest of the day. He couldn't bear it anymore. Maybe after the dream faded from his immediate memory, he could get over this and they could be friends again. But with his persistent dreams, the constant reminder of Cameron staring him in the face every time he looked at Allison…he was beginning to realize just how much dreams could affect his thought process.

It reminded him of his mother. She always had the most horrible dreams, but somehow, they'd always made sense. The three dots, Judgment Day, playgrounds burning…

Thinking of his mother tore him apart and he reached into his pocket where he kept her picture. Maybe it was time someone else be able to love Sarah Connor as much as he did. Maybe it was time to introduce her to Kyle Reese.

John took a deep, calming breath before approaching his father. "Hey, Kyle, I've got something for you."

Kyle looked up from cleaning his gun, staring up at John expectantly, but also seeming a bit puzzled. John flushed, suddenly at a loss for words, so he merely reached into his pocket and removed the photo of his mother, smoothing out a wrinkle. Then he held it out toward Kyle. _He's going to think I'm insane. If he didn't already._

But his father didn't stare at him skeptically, didn't ask 'why the heck are you giving me a picture of your mother'. Instead, Kyle's eyes widened slightly and he looked at the photo in reverence, rapture even. "Who is it?"

"It's my mother," John replied. "Sarah Connor."

Kyle handled the photo delicately as if it were made of glass and he didn't' want to risk dropping it. He never took his eyes off Sarah's face. John swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn't cry now, no matter how touching the moment was. Kyle would never understand if he started crying right now.

"She was the one who helped me become who I am today," John explained. "Allison thinks she'll bring you good luck."

Kyle smiled slightly, touching the picture of Sarah's face. "She'll be my lucky charm," he said fondly before he tucked the photograph carefully into his pocket, eyes moving back to John with gratitude. "Thank you."

John fought back his own emotions. He'd never seen Kyle so open, so vulnerable, so _loving. _It was almost like an instant connection, a connection that occurred even across time. Even after John left, he caught sight of Kyle taking out the picture again, staring at it curiously with his kind eyes.

His mother was right, John realized. Not just about Kyle's kind eyes, but of his father's kind heart.

Kyle Reese cared.

* * *

**Next: **Attack on Kansas Bunker


	7. Born to Sacrifice

_author's notes: Okay, so this chapter or "episode" you could say, is expanding on what happened during the Kansas Bunker attack (as partially seen/explained by Derek in Season 2 episode "Goodbye to All That." So you will recognize some sections from the episode itself._

_cptlatnok - Okay, I'm seriously going to use your suggestion. There's a character in the next chapter that gets a bit of torture, and I'm naming him Kevin. I don't really want to use Reilly as his last name since there's already a Riley in the story, but he will have the same first name. Thanks for the suggestion! LOL_

_mik-natsu-143 - As far as I know, yes, I believe the terminators would always kill the humans after they replicate them. After all, the whole purpose of the skin replication (at least on infiltrators) is for the terminator to actually take the human's place, and it couldn't really do that if the real human was left alive with a chance of escaping._

_Pjazz - Yes, definitely a juggling act. :) A lot of figuring out timeline of events and all that fun stuff. Thanks for the compliment, though. It is kind of like writing season three on my own, :) which is why I'm always open to suggestions or ideas from any of the readers. _

_

* * *

__Previously on Born to Fight: In John's past, Derek Reese had told the story of when Martin Bedell had sacrificed his life to rescue forty Skynet prisoners. Lauren Fields, after Judgment Day, cared for Allison Young and eventually became a vital part of the Resistance as a medical doctor. John has finished his NO FATE motivational campaign and returned to Depot 2 where Bedell and the Reese brothers have been readying their forces to defend against an inevitable Skynet attack. John has given the photo of Sarah Connor to Kyle Reese. _

**Chapter Seven:**

**Born to Sacrifice**

**October 2025**

**Depot 2**

John was the first to hear the loud knocking coming from the entrance of Depot 2. Followed by a small squad of soldiers who readied their weapons just in case, John cracked the door, spotting two women standing outside. One was probably not much younger than he was, the other was definitely older, but she had a young face. They looked alike and he assumed they were probably sisters.

From behind him, he heard a gasp of surprise and turned to see Allison's face light up with joyful recognition. "Lauren! Sydney!"

John opened the door fully to let the two resistance fighters inside, barring it behind them.

He didn't miss Lauren's double take as she stared at Allison, didn't miss the strange flash of confusion and doubt that crossed her face before her eyes softened in recognition and she threw her arms around Allison.

John realized exactly what it meant. This was Lauren Fields, the girl on the list, the one his mother and Cameron had helped. The one who had rescued baby Allison Young after Judgment Day. The only other person besides him who knew the connection between Cameron and Allison, if Lauren knew the connection at all. He had a feeling she'd already put two and two together.

Sydney was much quieter than her older sister, but he could tell by the smile on her face and the look in her eyes that she was genuinely happy to see Allison too. Which would make perfect sense, John told himself. After all, Allison and Sydney had grown up together under Lauren's care. After the two teenage girls exchanged hugs, Lauren turned to look at John.

"You're John Connor," she said. It was a statement, not a question, but he nodded anyway.

"And you're Lauren Fields," he replied. "My mother helped save you and your family. She told me about you. She said you liked to build birdhouses."

A sad smile crossed Lauren's face and then disappeared. "I'm sorry to bother you, General," she said apologetically. "We've come from Kansas Bunker requesting some medical supplies."

John frowned, instantly on high alert. "Is there some kind of epidemic there?"

"No, no," she assured him. "Just the usual, but we're running out of even the basic treatments. I figured we should stock up before it's too late."

John nodded his consent, glancing around purposely before turning back to Lauren, rubbing his neck and feeling slightly embarrassed. "I'm not sure where the medical supplies are."

"I can show you," Allison piped up, coming to John's rescue.

Lauren nodded to her younger sister. "Sydney, will you go get them?" As the two girls hurried off, Lauren stared after them before looking over at John once more.

"I always knew there was something familiar about Allison," she began. "Even when I was raising her after J Day, there was something oddly familiar about her face. Now that she's older, it's even more noticeable." She gave John a pointed look and he already knew where this conversation was going. "She looks a _lot _like the cyborg your mother brought to our house, the one that fought the Terminator."

"Cameron," John replied. The dull ache in his heart was still there every time he mentioned her name, but he pushed it back down.

"I guess…" Lauren said with a shrug. "I never heard her name. But every time I look at Allison, I'm reminded of the cyborg."

John drew in a deep shaky breath. _Welcome to my world. _"You have no idea. They're not just similar…they're identical."

Lauren frowned. "How could she have a cyborg twin? Unless…" her eyes grew wide with horror. "They used her as a model. They used Allison as Cameron's model, is that it? What happens, Connor?"

John hesitated. How could he explain his theory that Cameron eventually kills Allison and takes her identity? Even now, he couldn't bring himself to accept it. He didn't want another death on his hands. He liked Allison, he didn't want her to die. Not for the first time he wondered how far he was willing to go to get Cameron back. Would he knowingly send Allison to her death? Would he sacrifice a human, his _friend, _for a machine?

He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

"I don't think you should know too much about the future," he said to Lauren hesitantly. "The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves. We could end up changing something that's not mean to be changed."

Lauren's frown deepened. "So you know what will happen."

John pursed his lips before slowly nodding. "I know what happens originally. I'm not sure how much I changed by jumping here."

Allison and Sydney came back down the tunnel, each carrying one end of a large box of medical supplies. John cocked an eyebrow.

"Did you leave any for us?" he asked.

Allison nodded easily. "Depot 2 has a large storage of our med supplies. Some of our missions in the past have been to run the medicine to other bunkers. There's plenty more where this came from." She shifted her grip on the box. "Hey, John. I'm going to help them take this stuff back to Kansas. Sydney says they could use an extra pair of hands treating the sick."

John felt a strange loneliness settle in his heart. "Oh…okay."

She smiled at him comfortingly. "Hey, don't worry. I'll be back."

He tried not to wince at her choice of words. "You forgot to ask permission."

She scoffed playfully. "Hello? I'm co-savior of mankind, remember?" John cracked a small smile and his face grew serious.

"Just be careful."

Allison gave him a two-fingered salute. "Yes sir, General."

And then she was gone, along with Lauren and Sydney, leaving him more alone than he'd felt since the first day he'd arrived.

_Where's Weaver when I need her?_

As it turns out, he wasn't alone for long. Kyle and Derek soon arrived, guns slung over their shoulders as usual. Derek eyed John's plasma rifle, something he'd been doing constantly ever since John returned from his mother's safehouse with the new weapon.

"When do we start getting those issued?" Derek asked with a grin.

John shrugged. "Whenever we can start manufacturing them. Or if I find some secret stash somewhere. Whichever seems more likely."

Derek winced. "Neither seem very promising."

"Where's Allison?" Kyle spoke up questioningly.

"She just headed out to Kansas Bunker to help Lauren and Sydney Fields take care of the sick," John replied.

Kyle's mouth twitched into a smile and John could see the fondness in his eyes. "Yeah, that sounds like her. Always trying to help people."

"Derek! Kyle!" Martin Bedell came running up with something small and blocky in his hands. It took John a moment to realize that the items resembled walky-talkys.

Derek raised a skeptical eyebrow as he was handed one of the communication devices. "What's this? A walky-talky? Old school."

"Actually, it's new," Martin replied. "Our tech team has been working on a communication device that's Skynet proof."

"Skynet proof," John repeated questioningly.

"Meaning it's got protective measures so they can't hack into it and listen in," Martin explained quickly. "Don't ask me how; there's a reason I'm not on the tech team."

"Let me guess," Derek said with a grin. "Wisher came up with this."

Bedell nodded. "Yeah. I guess Billy's been busy."

Derek smirked. "The man's a genius, what can I say?"

"Anyway," Bedell continued. "I'm heading back to Hammerhead. There's a squad tracking a Skynet force that's mobilizing a few miles away. We're hoping it's not going to turn our way, but if it does, we've got some magic bullets in that bunker."

John wasn't sure what a magic bullet was, but decided not to ask at this point. He'd just recently risen to his current rank and so far everyone was taking the new leadership pretty well. John didn't want to ruin the progress with them thinking he was incompetent.

"Derek, Kyle," Bedell offered. "You two want to come along?"

Both the Reese brothers nodded and headed for the east exit. John caught Martin's arm as he turned to leave, suddenly feeling an urgency to tell his comrade how much he was appreciated.

"Hey, Bedell," John began. Bedell turned around, waiting expectantly. John stared, the sudden memory striking him. Bedell was going to make a sacrifice one of these days. Maybe it was tomorrow, maybe it was years away. Or maybe he'd changed that future to where Martin wouldn't _have _to give his life.

"Connor," Bedell prodded. "General? You okay?"

John nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm…I just wanted to tell you thanks. You're a hero."

Bedell's face remained blank for a moment, as if trying to decipher John's words. Then the corner of his mouth turned upward into a smirk. "You're the hero, Connor. You've united us. I haven't done anything."

John kept his face and eyes serious. "I know, but you will."

Finally Bedell's brow furrowed in confusion. "Is this more of that future time travel stuff?"

"Kind of," John agreed. "I only know what Derek told me, the Derek you knew at P. Alto."

"He told you I was gonna be a hero?" Bedell's voice was filled with incredulity, but also awe and anticipation.

"He did. You save dozens of lives."

Bedell's smile remained for a few seconds before a thought hit him. "How will I know…"

"You'll know," John promised. "And when that time comes, if I'm not around to tell you personally…just know that I'll be eternally grateful to you."

"Alright…cool…" Bedell leisurely turned to walk down the hall before spinning back around and calling out, "You coming, Connor?"

John decided to take that as an invitation. And going to Hammerhead with Bedell and the Reese brothers was definitely better than staying in Depot 2. If he was going to lead these people, he needed to get in on the action.

Hammerhead wasn't too far away, and thankfully there were no Skynet patrols in the area. John stood next to Derek and Kyle in the upper bunker, glancing out through the…he couldn't actually call it a window, but it was a large slit in the wall that allowed them to keep watch on the outside, and to fire at T's when the time came. As John peered through the binoculars, he saw Skynet's force, a huge metal tank rolling slowly their way.

"Bedell," he said, keeping his voice firm, though on the inside his stomach was starting to get butterflies. "We've got something."

Martin was instantly at his side, taking the binoculars and glancing out into the darkness. "It's an ogre."

"Ogre?" John repeated.

"HK-tank," Kyle supplied, grabbing his gun. "We call them ogres or centaurs."

"Or soon to be melted slabs of metal," Derek added with a nonchalant shrug. "Your choice, really."

"Yeah, well, we got one coming our way," John replied.

Kyle came to John's side and glanced out the hole, squinting into the distance. "Someone needs to report this to the others at Depot 2. If that thing keeps coming our way, we may need some reinforcements. They need to be prepared…"

John switched into his general mode. "Alright. Reese, Bedell stay here and keep your eyes on this road. I'm going to go back to Depot 2 to get them posted." He picked up one of the walky talkys. "Keep reporting back to me at regular intervals. We can't let this get out of our control."

"Yes, sir," Derek said with a mock-salute.

John made it safely back to Depot 2 and met Major Perry coming up the main tunnel, looking worried.

"General," Perry greeted. "We've got a problem."

"Don't we always?" John asked before turning serious. "I know. We've got an ogre coming this way. Bedell has a group stationed at Hammerhead to observe Skynet movements."

Perry hesitated. "It's worse than know."

John sighed heavily. "It usually is."

"That Skynet convoy is heading straight for Kansas bunker."

For a moment John felt as if his veins had turned to ice. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, and he wasn't even sure what he'd been trying to say. Maybe he was just going to scream.

Allison was in Kansas bunker. If Skynet hit there…

John was instantly in motion, bolting back towards the door of Depot 2. He heard Perry's frantic voice calling after him.

"Connor! Wait! What are you doing?"

John paused at the door, turning back to his major, throwing him the walky talky. "I'm going to warn them, maybe get them out before Skynet hits. You stay here, wait for Bedell's report."

Without another word, John burst through the door, plasma rifle in hand as he started off at a run toward Kansas.

***********

**Kansas Bunker**

John banged on the Kansas Bunker door, no longer worrying about attracting attention. The roar of the HK's overhead and the Skynet transports closing in would drown it out anyway.

It was already too late. They wouldn't be escaping.

A soldier cautiously opened the door and all but dragged John inside. "Hurry!" the fighter cried. "We're under attack."

"I'm looking for Lieutenant Allison Young," John said in a rush. "She should be with Lauren and Sydney Fields."

"Ah, yes, the doctors," the soldier said. "This way." As they ran, the soldier turned to regard John. "Who exactly are you?"

"I'm John Connor," John replied without stopping.

The soldier skidded to a stop, eyes widening with awe. "Connor? You're our savior?"

"That's what they say," John replied.

The soldier held out a hand. "Captain Wells. It's an honor to meet you, sir."

"Thanks, now we better keep moving unless you want to have the honor of meeting your grave too."

Wells nodded quickly and hurried to find Lauren, Sydney, and Allison who were in the upper level, crouched by the bunker viewport. John breathed a sigh of relief, glad they were safe for the time being.

"What's going on?" Sydney asked, eyes widening in fear.

Allison curled her lip. "Crap. We've got an ogre and three monkey wagons."

"Monkey wagons?" John repeated.

"Prisoner transports," Allison explained. "Kyle told me about them. It's how he was transported to Century the first time. If we get caught…" she shuddered involuntarily.

"That's not gonna happen," John said firmly.

There was a loud crash at one end of the bunker and John snapped his head toward the sound, hearing a strangled scream. His heart almost stopped. "They're inside. We've got to go, now!"

"Where?" Allison demanded. "They're outside too! The triple 8 patrols could kill us."

"Well these ones definitely will," John shot back. "This is our only chance." _And I hate to say it's not a very good one. _

**********

**Hammerhead Bunker**

Derek Reese stood by the window, staring out at the unfolding battle. His eyes strayed from the scene to his brother Kyle who was seated on the floor, waiting and staring at something small, square, and flat in his hand.

"What is that?" Derek asked.

Kyle glanced up briefly before returning his eyes to the object. "It's a picture."

_Picture. Haven't seen one of those in a while. _He couldn't imagine whose picture his brother would be carrying around. "Of who?"

"Sarah Connor."

"_Sarah _Connor?" Derek repeated incredulously. _What the heck?_ "Connor's _mother._ Why the heck are you carrying around a picture of Connor's mother?"

Kyle's eyes grew defensive and he tucked the picture safely back into his coat pocket. "For luck," he replied.

Derek snorted. "She's dead. How lucky can that be?"

Kyle shot him a look and Derek shrugged, looking back out the window. HK's were now flying overhead and the ogre was shooting out plasma bolts at a target Derek couldn't see from his angle.

Bedell came in, rifle at the ready, looking worried and determined at the same time. "What's going on?"

"Ogre's shooting at something, but I can't see what," Derek replied, straining to catch a glimpse. "We're in a bad position for visuals."

Kyle rose to his feet quickly. "I'll go scout it out," he offered.

Derek shook his head adamantly. His brother may be a hero, but there was no way Derek was going to let him go out there into the heat of battle. "Kyle, no, you can't. I'll go."

Kyle held up a hand to caution him. "Derek, stop. Who's in charge here?"

_Stupid question. _"Connor."

"Okay," Kyle relented. "But who was in charge before Connor?"

"No one."

"Fair enough, but _I_ was the one who planned missions and gave advice. Now that Connor's here, no matter how young he is, I feel like I've taken myself out of the fight a little, letting him rally the resistance."

Derek shrugged. "Yeah, the kid's done a fine job…"

"But now it's time for me to start doing something again to make a difference," Kyle insisted. "I can do this, Derek. I _am _doing this."

Without another word, Derek was forced to watch as his younger brother opened the bunker door and disappeared out into the fire.

**********

**Outside Kansas Bunker**

The plasma rifle charged up and John pulled the trigger, the rifle bouncing back against his shoulder from the recoil. The plasma blast blew a hole through the Terminator's head, completely obliterating the chip side of its skull.

Unfortunately, the plasma blast also drew the attention of several other Triple 8's in the area. John backed up toward the bunker, gripping the gun tightly. _I have to stop you. I'm John Connor. _He charged his weapon again.

_Don't fight back. _The voice startled him this time almost as much as it did the first. Cameron's voice. _Don't let them know who you are. _With a sinking feeling, he realized she was right. He couldn't let Skynet know that he was John Connor. He had to play the part of a regular soldier. Or else he'd be killed on the spot if they even suspected him as being one of the leaders.

He dropped the rifle and hurried back toward Allison and the others, slipping once on a piece of metal.

"What's wrong?" Wells asked. "Did you kill it?"

"Too many," John replied, panting heavily. "There's nothing we can do…except hope they take us prisoners."

"Never thought I'd be saying those words," Allison mumbled.

A trio of Triple 8's came up over the mound of debris, red eyes staring straight at them. John slowly raised his hands over his head in surrender, swallowing hard. _They look a lot scarier without the flesh sheath. _The endos stalked down, each grabbing hold of a prisoner. John squeezed his eyes shut as the metal fingers closed on his collar. _If I were in 2009, I'd be dead…_ Thank _God _these Terminators didn't know who he was.

Another Terminator came over the pile, a Triple 8, this one with the Vick Chamberlain skin. "Get on," it commanded in a monotone. John, Allison, and the others were forced into a crowded monkey wagon. With horror John realized that Skynet had captured the rest of the bunker as well. There had to be around fifteen people crammed in this monkey wagon alone.

His eyes closed in grief as he remembered the story Derek had told him. _Forty prisoners…Oh Martin…today is the day…_

*********

**Hammerhead Bunker**

Derek tore his gaze away from the battle. He still couldn't see what Skynet was attacking, but it seemed dangerously close to where Kansas bunker lay. Where Allison was. Derek didn't feel as much fatherly love for Allison as Kyle did, but if his brother was acting like her father, that would make him her uncle. Besides, Derek liked Allison. She had a sense of humor and a personality that was rare to find these days. He hoped she would be safe in the bunker.

Bedell repeated his query over the communicator, his pitch increasing as he did. "Kansas, this is Hammerhead, do you copy? Kansas, respond!"

Derek spotted a flash of movement from the window. "He's back!" he shouted, moving quickly for the bunker door. "It's Kyle!"

Bedell drew his gun and aimed it at the door as Derek yanked it open. Kyle stumbled in, pulling his bandana down from where it had been covering his mouth and nose. Derek could see the horror and fear in Kyle's eyes.

"Tin Cans just hit Kansas bunker."

"Survivors?" Martin asked.

"Prisoners now," Kyle replied. "One ogre tank, three monkey wagons. The convoy will roll out down Wilshire towards Century in the next hour. Derek…" Kyle's voice was tortured and grief stricken. "Allison's in there."

Derek's heart was sinking to the ground, but there wasn't anything they could do about Allison and the others. "Kyle, we can't…"

"We have to get her out," Kyle protested adamantly. "I'm thinking…"

"No," Derek said shaking his head. "Uh, we got our orders. Connor wants this corridor controlled. So we sit tight, we observe Skynet movement and report back at regular intervals, and that's it."

The shock and distaste on his brother's face made him feel horrible, but Derek knew what had to be done. "What's that report gonna say?" Kyle demanded. "Huh? That we observed Skynet move these people into a death camp while we sat?"

"I know!" Derek interrupted, raising his voice to calm Kyle down. "I know it sucks alright? But if we lose eyes on this road, we could lose a lot more than one bunker, Kyle."

Kyle gritted his teeth, looking away.

Derek stared at him, trying to will his brother to see reason. "If Connor were here…"

"Connor isn't here," Martin spoke up quickly. Derek spun around to the commander, forehead wrinkling with disbelief. _Bedell _was going against John Connor? Bedell was the one who'd convinced everyone the kid could be trusted!

There wasn't a trace of guilt in Martin's expression, only hardened determination. "Corporal, get below, run up every tunnel rat you can find."

Kyle hesitated, looking at Derek once before moving to comply. As Derek watched his brother descend into the underground levels of the complex, he turned to Martin, tone disapproving, almost to the point of anger.

"Martin. You know what he'd say. You know what Connor would say."

"Yes, I know what he'd say," Bedell agreed. "If Connor wants to shoot me for disobeying orders, he can get in line behind the tin cans." Martin shook his head, smiling sadly. "But he won't do it."

Derek's face flushed with annoyance. "Why? Because he's a kid?"

"Because he cares," Bedell corrected firmly. "If he knew Allison was really on that transport, there wouldn't be a thing on the planet that could stop John Connor from going to her. It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out."

Derek kept shaking his head back and forth. This wasn't right. They had orders, even if they did come from a seventeen year old kid. In this case, John Connor was right. "We can't risk the lives of the entire resistance for one bunker, Martin, no matter who's in it. That's why we were losing before. Connor would say the same thing if he were here."

"I doubt it."

Derek's face flushed with anger. If John Connor had grown up training for the war no one else believed was coming, he would understand that sacrifice was a part of the battle. John Connor would understand that he couldn't save everyone. J Day proved that.

"What about everything he said about sacrifices?" he demanded. "We can't save everyone, Martin. We have to be able to live with sacrifice."

"He's right. Sometimes sacrifices are necessary." Martin was in total agreement, but Derek could hear a "but" coming.

"But he means we shouldn't risk our lives on a suicide mission to save a few when failure would mean the death of countless others."

_What do you call this? _"This _is _a suicide mission."

"Maybe," Bedell replied gravely. "But I think it's my destiny."

_Destiny? "_What?"

"Connor told me that I would become a hero, that I would save the lives of many people. I think that moment's now. I have to do this."

Derek was shaking his head through Martin's entire response. "No, you don't," he said strongly. "Remember what Connor talked about? The future isn't set. No fate but what we make for ourselves?"

"This is meant to happen, Derek," Martin replied softly.

Derek curled his lip angrily. "Why? Because the future's already happened and we're just going through the motions? Don't we have a choice in this matter?"

"We do have a choice," Martin said in the most serious voice he'd ever used. Derek knew this was something Bedell would always want him to remember, to take to heart. "We just have to make the right one. The one that will save lives. We're doing this."

**********

**Skynet Monkey Wagon**

"What's going to happen to us?" Allison whispered in the darkness of the prison transport. John could tell she was trying to be brave, but he heard the quiver of fear in her voice. He'd never seen her so scared before.

"I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you," John reminded her, trying to keep his own voice strong. He had to be able to reassure them. He was John Connor, their leader, the one they looked to for encouragement in times like this. He'd keep her safe. He'd made a promise, not only to Kyle, but to himself as well.

"We'll get through this," John finished.

Wells gave John a resigned look. "Do you really think any of us are going to get through this? How many of us do you really think will last at Century?" Wells shook his head quickly. "No…we're all gonna die."

"_Don't _say that," John hissed.

"You happen to have a knife on you, Connor?" Wells asked.

John frowned. "Why?"

"Might be better to just end it now," the soldier replied with a shrug. "It's got to be better than being tortured to death in Century."

_Suicide. _He'd had to deal with it all his life. He'd watched helplessly as Jordan took the plunge off the school roof. He'd nearly blown his own head off with a gun he thought he'd cleared. Everyone else had assumed the stress was getting to him. Death was not the answer. They needed to live, to survive. Suicide was the cowardly way out, if it was even a way out at all.

"No," John ordered in a low voice. His intensity and dark gaze made the suicidal soldier raise his eyebrows and scoot back a bit. "No one is going to die. We're going to get out of here. We just have to be patient."

Cameron's voice was in his head again. _You have to be strong, John. You have to wait for me._

John drew in a shaky breath. _I'm trying, Cam. I really am. It's not up to me anymore. It's up to Kyle and Derek. It's up to Martin…_

*********

**Hammerhead Bunker**

Derek watched from the side as Martin held up one of the magic bullets they had stashed in Hammerhead. Kyle had returned with three tunnel rats, young, but ready to help do their part to rescue the prisoners.

"Meet my friend the EFP," Martin began, showing off the explosive. "He sits in the middle of the road and blows up metal. This is his life's ambition and I intend to help him achieve it."

"We've seeded the street with these things," Derek continued. "But we've got to make sure that ogre cooperates." _That's where you come in. _

"Colonel Reese will take you and set up," Bedell finished. "When the convoy rolls to your position, open fire. On this bunker. The ogre will think it's metal on skin and move to assist. And when it does…boom."

Bedell surveyed the faces of the fighters. "Questions?" No one spoke up and Bedell nodded confidently. "Move out."

He handed Kyle an EFP and Derek caught Kyle by the arm before his brother could leave. "Hey, they're kids, they key off you."

Kyle gave him a look that said "duh". "I know," he replied.

Derek shook his head. "Kids…"

***********

**Skynet Monkey Wagon**

John found a small hole blown in the monkey wagon from a previous battle. It wasn't big enough for anyone to fit through, but at least he could poke his head out and get a partial view of what was happening in the battle. From his angle, he could see the ogre tank rolling steadily down the path.

"What's happening?" Allison asked, brushing up beside him.

"Looks like there's some explosives in the street," John pointed out.

He could only see her face due to the small amount of light let in by the hole, but he saw a smile form. "They're planning a rescue."

John nodded slowly, eyes searching the rubble piles for any soldiers hiding behind them. "It's Kyle," he said, spying his father leading three other soldiers who started firing at the Triple 8 guard squad.

Allison smile widened. "See? We'll be out of here in no time."

John had turned away from the hole to smile at her and as soon as he did he heard a tremendous explosion, saw a ball of fire shoot up from one of the EFPs, saw the next one further down the road trigger as well.

His eyes widened in horror. "Nononono! What are you doing?"

The tank wasn't even near the EFPs yet. Who had set them off early? One by one, all of the explosives had detonated prematurely, and the tank was still fully unharmed. John felt his heart sink and his hope slowly began to fade.

"There goes our last chance."

Cameron's voice rose inside his mind: _No fate but what you make_

John shook his head slowly. _Oh, I'm not going to lay down and give up. But my fate is in the hands of my father, uncle, and Martin Bedell. _

_Now is the time, Martin. Your turn to be the hero._

*********

**Hammerhead Bunker**

The explosion almost blinded Derek's view and he cursed violently. "No no no no!"

Bedell reloaded his gun from the corner, raising his voice to be heard over the firefight outside. "You gotta be a little more specific."

"Straight shot from one of the kids," Derek informed, his voice breaking. _This can not be happening._ "Must have hit one of the EFPs. It set 'em all off, it's a chain reaction, we're just swinging in the wind."

"Where's the ogre?" Bedell asked.

"It's coming to kill us all," Derek retorted. "Where the heck do you think it is?"

"Where is the tank?" Bedell demanded again.

Derek finally cleared his mind, trying to keep down the panic. "About a block away, moving towards us. There's no way we've got enough powder to kill it. I'm gonna lay down some covering fire, maybe drop a couple endos. That'll give Kyle enough time to get back."

Martin was no longer looking at Derek, though. "Reese… we can kill that ogre. We've got one more magic bullet." Derek followed his gaze to see the last EFP still sitting in the corner. Bedell turned to regard Derek once more. "We just got to get it out there."

Suddenly everything Connor had said about sacrifice made sense to Derek. And Derek Reese was willing to make that sacrifice in order to save his brother. "I'll go," he said, picking up the EFP and taking a couple of deep breaths.

"You'll never make it."

"He's my brother," Derek protested. _I have to make it_.

"You wanna save Kyle or die trying?" Bedell snarled. "Give me the EFP. Please."

Derek looked up at Martin, at the determination and courage in his eyes. The resolution. "I want to take this one," Martin said. "I _have _to take this one."

Derek hesitated, remembering Bedell's big speech from earlier. "This is your fate?"

"This is my choice," Bedell corrected firmly.

Derek slowly surrendered the EFP. "Do it. But you run, Bedell." Martin started toward the door and Derek followed, feeling the need to get his full meaning across. "Do you hear me? You run. You have to get back." _We still need you, Martin. You won't be made a sacrifice, you can be a hero. You just have to run fast enough to get back._

Bedell paused at the door, prepping himself for the sprint. Derek grabbed the door, ready to open it wide for his friend. "When this thing goes off, you pop those wagons, you get those people out," Martin ordered. "Don't be a hero." Derek nodded quickly and Martin looked back to the door. "Go!"

Derek took a deep breath and shoved the door open. Martin disappeared into the middle of the battle and Derek pulled the door close again, rushing back to the viewport and aiming his weapon.

But more than that, he watched Bedell. Martin had told him once how he used to be on the track team in school, how he loved to run, was the fastest in his school. Now Derek could see why. Martin ran so fast, dodging the gunfire and reaching the ogre before it got to Kyle's position.

When the EFP went off, Derek looked away as the explosion lit up the sky, his heart sinking. No one could outrun a blast like that.

Not even Martin Bedell.

***********

**Skynet Monkey Wagon**

John had seen Kyle making a break for the monkey wagons when the shockwave from a huge explosion suddenly knocked his father into the air, throwing him into the ground. John frantically peered through the hole, straining to see what had exploded.

"The tank," he whispered with shock. "They blew the tank…"

John wrenched his gaze back to Kyle, who was slowly trying to struggle to his feet, wincing. "Kyle!" John shouted.

Kyle coughed violently, looking up through the smoke at the convoy. "Connor?"

"On your feet, soldier!" John ordered.

Kyle staggered to his feet, running for the monkey wagon again. John saw the blast of fire from the Hammerhead bunker knock out a couple of the Terminator guards, and blowing off the locks of their prison.

Kyle grabbed the door and yanked it open. "Let's go, let's go!" he cried. John leaped down, seeing for the first time the whole destruction around them. Dozens of burning Triple 8 skeletons and the HK tank was absolutely blown to pieces.

John had a sinking feeling that someone had gone out with it.

Kyle led them all into the safety of Hammerhead bunker and thirty-nine of the former prisoners went down below into the safety of the tunnels. Only John remained in the upper level. He saw Derek standing at the bunker viewport, hands still gripping his gun tightly, moving as if in a daze, eyes unfocused.

John approached cautiously, hoping Derek wasn't going into shock or anything.

"Connor," Derek stated, his voice low.

"Derek? What happened? Where's Martin?"

Derek's eyes were dead, his voice dull when he replied, "He's dead."

John had expected as much. But he still wasn't prepared for it. He felt his breath rush out of his mouth in a whoosh. It had happened. Bedell had done it; he'd saved them all; he'd been the hero. John recalled Derek's words from before. _He ran so fast, but no one could outrun a blast like that._

"He died…" Derek said bleakly. "He died for you."

And John felt an unbearable pain in his heart, an emptiness he could hardly bear. Hearing about it from Derek the first time was hard enough, but this…Martin had just _died. _He'd died to save John Connor, to save Allison Young, to save the Fields sisters, to save everyone on that transport. He'd made the ultimate sacrifice, his life for the lives of others.

Martin was the true hero.

Derek's words came rushing back to him hauntingly, along with an onslaught of bitter tears.

_He died for you, John._

_We all die for you. _

* * *

**Next: **As John struggles to deal with the grief over Martin's death, a stranger in the camp could mean danger for the Resistance.


	8. Born to Dance

_author's notes: _

_That Don't Make me a Bad Guy - No, I'm definitely not mad at you for anything you said. I've never seen Dollhouse and could care less if it got cancelled. It sucks that it got renewed instead of TSCC. :(_

_Castaway5 - I had been doing a brief "previously on" summary, but I decided to use your suggestion. This chapter opens more like the episode recaps. Hope you like. Didn't have time to come up with an ending teaser trailer, but I'll try for next week. :)__Previously on Born to Fight:_

_fairedust - Yes, Cameron's voice in John's head is like Kyle was for Sarah. That's what I was going for._

_mosherguy18 - Ha ha, jumping the gun a bit. :) No, Allison's not going to get captured for a little while yet._

_The Emphaty Turtle - Understandable. Don't worry, this chapter is completely original._

* * *

_CAMERON: (dancing ballet in her room) Dance is the hidden language of the soul. ALLISON: My mother would sit for hours and listen to Chopin. (John and Allison look in boxes at John's desert safehouse) ALLISON: What's all this? JOHN: (holds up pocket watch) It's my stuff. She kept it. KYLE: The Grays can be anyone. Remember what happened to my brother? DEREK: Charles Fischer began torturing us while the machines looked on, learning how to appear human. KYLE: Grays are traitors. Imagine what would happen if they got someone on the inside. (John and Allison captured in Skynet monkey wagon) MARTIN: I want to take this one. (Martin runs out into the battle. Tank explodes) DEREK: No one can outrun a blast like that. (John enters bunker, tears in his eyes) DEREK: He died for you, John. We all die for you._

**Chapter Eight:**

**Born to Dance**

**October 2025**

**2 days after Bedell's Death**

**Depot 2**

All the soldiers of Depot 2 had held a funeral for Martin Bedell and they'd placed a memorial inside the bunker in dedication of their fallen comrade, the hero who had saved the lives of forty Skynet prisoners. Of everyone, the Reese brothers had taken the death the hardest. Kyle, who had befriended Martin at Century and carried an injured Martin to safety during the escape, had inscribed the memorial.

It stated Bedell's name, his date of birth and death and the fact that he was a great hero. Kyle had also included a phrase Bedell himself had spoken once, a life motto for his unit that stemmed from personal experience: _If you can't run, you crawl. And if you can't do that, you find someone to carry you. _For Martin, Kyle Reese had been that someone, the one who'd carried the critically injured Martin Bedell away from Century and into freedom.

Bedell's funeral was long done, but John Connor still sat unmoving on the cold, hard floor of his bunker. Max lay dutifully at his side, whimpering softly every now and then, as if he understood that something was wrong with his master.

John was numb. Both in his mind and in his body. How could someone live with this kind of pain? Martin Bedell had just _died. _To save the life of John Connor. The sacrifice was almost too much for John to bear. He was unworthy of such an act of love and devotion. He wasn't _worth _it.

There was nothing he'd rather do than break down and mourn for the loss of such a brave soldier, a soldier who had decided that John's life and the lives of everyone else on that transport were worth more than his own. He wanted to cry…but he couldn't. He'd remained collected at the funeral, because he couldn't let his men see him like that, weak, childish, unfit to lead. He had to remain strong for the rest of the Resistance. He had to be bold. These men were soldiers; they dealt with death all the time. He couldn't let this shake him. The door slowly creaked open and Allison hesitantly poked her head in, her eyes still betraying the grief that had settled in all of their hearts.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

John shifted his eyes from the wall down to the floor, running his hand through Max's fur as Allison shut the door behind her. "I'm fine," he mumbled.

"You don't look fine."

"I'm fine," he repeated forcefully.

Allison was undeterred by his rude behavior. "It's okay to grieve, John."

_No. It's not. "_Not for me," he corrected, shaking his head back and forth with a slow deliberate motion. "I can't grieve. I have to be strong. I have to lead them."

"Crying isn't a weakness," Allison told him. "The fact that you hurt deeply just means you cared deeply. That's the kind of leader we need. If you can't show emotion, if you can't grieve the loss of a human life, we may as well have just asked your machine friend, Weaver, to lead us. It's natural, healthy, _human, _to grieve. It's the one thing that separates us from the machines. You lost a friend today, John."

"I didn't lose him," John said stubbornly. "He sacrificed himself. For me. I don't deserve that kind of sacrifice, no one does."

Max shifted beneath his fingertips and John suddenly felt the hair on the back of the dog's neck stand up. A low growl escaped through Max's lips.

"What is it, boy?" John asked.

Max suddenly lurched to his feet, racing to the door, barking and growling. John's eyes widened and a horrible fear settled into the pit of his stomach. There was only one reason for a dog to act up like that.

Metal was near.

John raced for the door as Max darted down the hall. John watched with horror as his beloved dog headed straight for a stranger walking briskly down the hall.

"Max! No!" John screamed.

Max ignored John's frantic shouts and John watched in helpless shock, expecting Max to be killed instantly. _Not again…_he thought desperately.

The Terminator didn't reach down and snap Max's neck, though. Instead, the machine halted abruptly and took a few steps backwards, almost fearfully, as the dog charged forward with a brutal snarl. Max sunk his teeth into the Terminator's leg and the machine let out a blood-curdling scream.

John's mouth dropped open. This wasn't a Terminator.

It was a human.

The man tried to shake Max off, but John's dog hung on, snarling viciously. John and Allison ran up to the battle scene.

"Max, no!" John shouted. "Stop! He's human!" With John in his face and looking furious, Max slowly released his grip, whimpering as he backed off. John winced at the sight of the blood pouring from the gash in the man's leg.

Terminators don't bleed that much.

And he could see that Max had bit down to the bone. The stranger was clutching his leg, face twisted into a horrible grimace of pain, groaning.

"Go get Lauren," John ordered Allison. He grabbed the soldier's arm and helped him up slowly. "Sorry, soldier. He's usually not so…crazy."

The solder simply nodded mutely through gritted teeth. Allison came running back less than a minute later, with Lauren right behind her. The medic took one look at the leg and put a hand over her mouth.

"What happened?" she questioned.

"Um…Max was really hungry," John began, trailing off as Lauren took hold of the injured human's arm and helped him hobble towards the infirmary.

Allison sidled up to John, quirking an eyebrow. "Max was really hungry?" she repeated.

John shrugged. "You got a better reason?"

Allison frowned, staring after the soldier. "I don't trust him."

"You don't trust him?" John chuckled. "You of all people? Aren't you the one who never assumes the worst in anybody?"

"Well, why would Max just attack him like that?"

"Maybe he smelled bad," John suggested.

Allison gave him a look. "John…"

"Come on. Max is still in training. Maybe he just doesn't like strangers."

"We know he's not metal, this soldier, but Max doesn't trust him for a reason. And I think we need to find out what that reason is."

John definitely wasn't disagreeing with her on any account. Max's behavior was still a mystery, and he knew that dogs had a better sense than humans. Maybe Max could read something about this stranger that no one else could see. The soldier definitely wasn't metal, that much was for sure, but Allison was right.

There was something wrong with this whole situation.

***********

**Depot 2 Infirmary**

"Who is he?" Derek asked, staring through the infirmary door at the stranger laying on the bed.

John shook his head. "He passed out before Lauren could get much information. I think he mumbled that his name was Kevin or something like that."

"Why would he be here?" Kyle questioned. "What bunker is he from?"

John shrugged. "I guess we'll get some answers soon enough."

Allison, who had been helping Lauren inside the infirmary, came out and shrugged in response to John's questioning gaze. "He's doped up on painkillers, but Lauren thinks he'll be good enough to walk soon. She tried to get him to talk but…not much luck."

"She get anything at all?" Derek prodded.

"His name is Kevin Rodriguez, no rank or anything," Allison began. "We asked what bunker he was from and he said he wasn't. Mumbled something about his family surviving in caves and stuff like that." She hesitated. "He seemed really upset, which could be why he didn't want to talk to us. I think maybe one of the machines killed his family and he escaped and wound up here."

"Still think he's hiding something?" John asked.

Allison glanced back into the room. "Hard to say. We can't be sure of anything these days."

Kyle shrugged. "Who knows. He may make a good private in our army. I certainly know several soldiers who are just in the fight for revenge against the tin cans."

John saw Derek's eyes harden with anger but also intense sorrow. John didn't have to guess where Derek's rage and grief was coming from. The older Reese brother was remembering Martin Bedell. He wanted revenge. They all did.

"What do you want us to do, Connor?" Derek asked dutifully.

John glanced from Derek to Kyle to Allison and back into the infirmary. "Keep an eye on him."

************

Lauren had to stitch up the gash on Kevin Rodriguez's leg, but other than that he was fairly healthy. Neither she nor Allison was able to get anything else out of him about his family or place of origin.

John had stayed out of sight for a while, letting the girls do their job while he made up a small cot for Rodriguez in Martin's old room. Even as he did, he felt like he was dishonoring Bedell's memory. A rookie fighter like Rodriguez didn't deserve to even set foot in the fallen hero's room.

John quickly shook his head. _Be practical, Connor, _he ordered himself. _We have so little space as it is. _

He dropped the tattered blanket on the cot and backed out of Bedell's room, walking back down the hall towards the infirmary, meeting Allison and Max on the way.

"Going to check on our patient?" she asked.

John nodded brusquely. "Yes."

Her eyes searched his, glancing back to the room he'd just come from. "You were thinking of Martin again."

John kept his eyes forward, strong.

Allison's face fell and twisted into a look of compassion and frustration. "John, you can't keep doing this. You can't keep it all locked inside."

_Yes I can. I have to. _

He shook his head stiffly. "Let's go see to Rodriguez."

Allison snapped her mouth shut, hearing the finality in his voice and they walked in silence to the infirmary doors.

Kevin Rodriguez exited the medical room, his face still slightly pale and he was walking with a limp, but otherwise he seemed fine.

He looked a bit startled to see John and Allison waiting outside. John forced a smile at the patient. "How's the leg?"

Max's growl rumbled low in his chest and John laid a hand on the dog's head, cautioning him. _Maybe Rodriguez is a cat person._

Rodriguez gave Max a weary look and took a step on the injured leg, as if testing it, wincing only slightly. "A little better."

"Good," Allison said tersely. "So tell us, then. Why are you here?"

"I've been living in isolation underground for years," Rodriguez began. "I'd heard about the Resistance, but they never really posed a threat to Skynet. Until now, I guess." His voice broke off and he hesitated before taking a deep breath and continuing. "My…my family was hunted and killed by some Terminators. After that, some other soldiers found me and told me about this hero who had begun to win the war. I didn't want to stay on the sidelines any longer. I wanted to hunt down the metal that had killed my family. I said I wanted to help and they told me to find General John Connor."

"You found him," John replied.

Rodriguez looked skeptical and surprised. "You're John Connor?"

"I'd let you see my birth certificate but I really don't have one anymore," John retorted.

"John Connor," Rodriguez repeated. "I have a message for you."

John clasped his hands behind his back, waiting patiently for the delivery.

Rodriguez's eyes narrowed. "From Skynet."

John barely had time to register the shock before Rodriguez drew a gun from behind his back, the bullet firing out of the barrel before he could even process what was happening. It was impossible for John to move fast enough to avoid the shot, but suddenly Allison dove in front of him, the bullet hitting her in the stomach.

It had happened in a split second, but suddenly everything was moving in slow motion. John watched in silent horror as Allison dropped to the ground, letting out a cry of pain. His mouth slowly dropped open and he heard his own anguished scream.

"Nooooo!"

Rodriguez's face twisted from shock to anger, but before he could fire his weapon again, Max was on him, latching onto the man's hand with his powerful fangs. Rodriguez dropped the gun, shouting and punching at the dog.

The commotion had brought Derek and Kyle running. Kyle's mouth dropped open in fear and horror as he took in the sight of Allison lying nearly unconscious on the ground, of Rodriguez kicking Max back and going for his dropped gun again. Finally grasping the gravity of the situation, John's father then tackled the man to the ground, pulling out his own weapon and pressing it up against his opponent's head. "You move, you die," he hissed.

John finally regained the use of his feet, his panic and rage combining. This stranger had just _shot _Allison. John shouted angrily and lunged for Rodriguez, fists flying, screaming, "_I'll kill you!" _

Derek caught him by the arm, dragging him backwards. "John! Don't do this!" he ordered, his voice tight with raw anger of his own.

"Let go of me!" John snarled. _I'm going to _kill _him! _"I order you to let me go!"

"Don't, John!" Derek repeated firmly, never loosening his bone-crushing grip. "This won't help Allison."

John's face paled and his body went slack, legs suddenly feeling like jelly. _Allison…_ He looked back and dropped to her side, face contorting at the sight of all the blood.

"Nonononono…" he whispered. "Get Lauren!" he shouted. "Get her now!"

He didn't know who he'd given the order to. He didn't care who went as long as Lauren got here as soon as possible.

"Yes sir!"

John recognized the determined voice of Major Perry, heard the thudding of booted feet running off down the tunnel.

"Allison…" he pleaded. "Just stay with me, okay?"

Allison's eyes took a moment to focus on him. "I won't go very far…"

John could feel the tears burning in his eyes, could feel the pain tearing at his heart. He couldn't bear to see her hurt like this. He couldn't bear another sacrifice. "Why'd you do that?" he hissed tearfully. "It should have hit me…not you…Why did you…"

"Because…" Allison struggled to form words. "…you're John Connor…"

Her eyes went out of focus and he turned around, eyes wide with fear. "Come _on!" _he snarled.

A few seconds later, Perry rushed back in with Lauren right behind him. The medic's hand flew to her mouth and she gasped as she took in the scene.

"Allison!"

John scooted back, watching numbly as Lauren moved to Allison's side, putting pressure on the wound to slow the bleeding. "We need to get her into the infirmary."

Kyle and Derek instantly snapped into motion, moving to carefully help lift Allison and carry her down the tunnel into the infirmary. John shot a death glare at Rodriguez feeling the overwhelming urge to beat the man to death with his bare hands. He turned to Perry.

"Lock him up," he ordered before he hurried to follow Lauren to the infirmary. Once inside, Sydney jumped to help fetch the medical supplies as Lauren set to work quickly.

"Don't worry, John…" she reassured him. "She's going to be okay."

She was required to say that. He wasn't stupid enough to believe everything was just going to "be okay." They both knew that stomach wounds were deadly, that Allison could be in critical condition. "Talk to her," Lauren commanded.

John gripped Allison's hand tightly. "Allison…Allison, can you hear me?"

"John…" she whispered hoarsely.

"Can you move at all?" he asked, swallowing hard. "Can you move your feet?"

She smiled faintly. "Are you asking me to dance? I love to dance…"

In the background he heard Lauren's worried voice, "She's going into shock…"

He smiled tearfully down at Allison. "I know…Chopin right? You just gotta get better okay? You can't dance if you're lying on this table."

Her eyes closed slowly but the smile remained on her face.

***********

"Tell me," John ordered, his voice low and gravely serious. Lauren pressed her lips together tightly but shook her head.

"She's strong, but I don't know," she sighed heavily. "There's a chance she won't pull through."

_How much of a chance? _John clenched his jaw together tightly, eyes darkening. "Where is he?"

"Who?"

"_Him." _John spat angrily. "The one who shot her. The infiltrator. The _Gray_." There was no other explanation for it. Skynet had sent finally decided to try a new tactic. If Terminators could be detected by dogs, send a loyal human. It was a perfect plan. Heck, it actually would have _worked _if not for the fact that he had people who loved him more than he deserved, people who would die for him. Well, it was an _almost _perfect plan. If he would have listened to Max, if he would have trusted his young dog's instincts…Allison would never have gotten hurt. Because Rodriguez would never have lived to see another day.

"I think Derek and Kyle have him in lockdown," Lauren replied. "But John, you can't--."

"It's General Connor to you," he snapped tersely. _I can do what I want._ "I'm the one in charge here. You just do your job."

*****

**Depot 2 Holding Cell**

John stared coldly down at the impassive face of Allison's shooter. Rodriguez shifted uncomfortably, but otherwise showed no guilt whatsoever for the shot that had left Allison fighting for her life in that hospital room as they spoke. John found it impossible to keep the blinding rage off of his face. The urge to simply murder the Gray was so strong it threatened to overwhelm him completely.

"Who are you?" John asked, his voice low.

Rodriguez pursed his lips. "I think you figured that out."

"You're a Gray," John stated. "A traitor. Skynet's little puppet slave." He shook his head in disgust. "You can't make a deal with this thing, you can't bargain with it. You are all going to die."

Rodriguez stared up at John through narrowed eyebrows. "You can't intimidate me, Connor."

John's kept his face dead serious, his eyes murderous. "You think?"

The Gray squirmed uneasily. "So now what? You gonna sick that killer dog of yours on me?"

"No," John said quickly, shaking his head. Max wasn't going to end this. "He'd make your death too quick for my taste."

"He's not gonna kill me?"

John leaned forward, eyes burning with intensity. "No. _I _am."

Rodriguez finally recognized the strength in John's eyes, the intention. It far surpassed his apparent age. "You can't," the man stammered, a quiver of fear in his tone. "I'm a prisoner of war…"

John laughed mockingly. "Look at where you are. Look at who's in charge of this entire resistance. You've betrayed your species. You've invaded our home. You've put the girl I lo-," he halted abruptly before restating, "you've put one of my only true friends in the hospital." The rage came flooding back and John flicked open a knife, gripping the handle tight enough to make his knuckles turn white. "I'm going to kill you. Slowly."

"You…can't…"

"I'm John Connor," John shot back bitterly. "I'll do whatever I want."

_This isn't you, John. _

John paused abruptly, the cloud of rage in front of his eyes slowly dissipating. "Cameron?"

_This isn't you. You're not a murderer. Skynet is._

John stared down at the Gray, whose eyes were wide with fear. John curled his lip and brought his fist down hard on Rodriguez's injured leg. The man let out a hair-raising shriek of pain and John backed up a step, calmly replacing his knife.

"If she dies, I will be back," he said stonily. "And I swear to God I will kill you."

He turned on his heel and walked out of the room, feeling a morbid satisfaction at hearing Rodriguez's whimper of pain as the doors closed.

************

_Are you asking me to dance? _

Allison's shock-induced words were still fresh in his mind, permanently stored in his subconscious as John entered his room, quietly making his way over to where four plastic storage boxes were stacked on top of each other in the corner of his bunk. About a week ago, he'd ordered a crew to return to the desert safehouse and pick up all the stuff he'd had to leave behind. The boxes contained personal items his family had been packing when they were moving from LA. The soldiers had hidden away all the explosives that remained, but had left the boxes for John to go through.

So far he hadn't had the time…or the willpower.

Now he sighed and lifted up the first box on the stack. It was his own stuff, the box he'd opened when he was in the safehouse with Allison. The one that had contained the photo of his mother and the pocket watch necklace Cameron had given him that still hung securely around his neck. He moved the box aside, setting it on the floor. Next was Sarah's belongings, which he didn't even have to nerve to look at right now. Derek's was nearly empty, and John could see a jacket sticking out. It was too small to be his uncle's, so John assumed it must have belonged to Jesse. Even the hatred he felt toward Jesse now seemed minute now compared to the infuriating rage he felt whenever he even _thought _about Rodriguez.

The last box was the only one that was actually labeled, in Cameron's neat and perfect handwriting: CAMERON'S STUFF.

It was unopened, the tape still sealed from when Cameron had packed it away what seemed like so long ago. Sarah had left it untouched, knowing John would want to be the one to open it.

The box wasn't full at all, containing some makeup, nail polish, a couple of smaller guns…Cameron's favorite purple leather jacket. He felt a strange tearing sensation at his heart as his fingers hesitantly gripped the material, hands shaking as tears sprang unbidden into his eyes, temporarily blurring his vision. He clenched the jacket tighter, feeling something hard and sharp poke his finger. Frowning, John reached into the pocket and his fingers closed around something that felt like a really smooth rock. He pulled it out and his breath caught in his throat.

It was a diamond.

Not just any diamond, but the diamond he'd given her all those years ago, back when they'd raided Derek's safehouse in order to get money for new IDs. She'd kept it with her at all times, in her pocket. A strange thought occurred to him. Was that why she'd been so upset when the jacket got stolen? Was it because his precious gift had been in there as well?

He quickly slipped it back into the pocket. Cameron would be back, he told himself firmly. He'd return it to her then. Heck, maybe he'd even make a ring out of it. Despite himself, he smiled. Oh, what his solders would think of him then. On the bottom of the box was what he'd originally come in here for: a CD of ballet music Cameron used to dance to.

Chopin.

John reopened his own box, pulling out clothes and other miscellaneous items until he found his old CD player near the bottom. As he grabbed the music player, he spotted something else under it, a photograph lying face down. John carefully picked it up, setting the CD player down at his side as he flipped the photo around.

It was a picture of him and Cameron. They'd been at an amusement park that day, on a rollercoaster, while Derek and Sarah had been out investigating a name on the list. In the picture, John had his hands raised up in the air, enjoying the ride and screaming. Next to him, Cameron sat rigidly with her hands comfortably placed on the lapbar, her head tilted toward him, staring at him like he was a complete moron.

Now he was incredibly grateful he'd bought the photo that day.

John tucked the photo in the inner pocket of his jacket, not missing the irony of the situation. Like father like son, he thought, amused. Both of them now carried pictures of lost loves, ones they would eventually see again. John's throat tightened as a sudden panicked thought seized him.

Would he see Cameron again? If Allison…_died_…Skynet wouldn't use her as a model. It would never create Cameron. John dropped to his knees with shock, unable to breathe.

It wasn't just Allison lying there on that bed.

Cameron was dying too.

*********

"What are we going to do with him?" Kyle asked quietly as the three of them stood uneasily outside Rodriguez's holding cell.

"We can't let him live," Derek stated strongly. John could hear a hatred in his uncle's voice that was nearly equal to what John felt in his own heart.

"I know," John said darkly. There was no way Rodriguez could be allowed to live. And if Allison…and Cameron…died, his death would be considerably more slow and painful.

Kyle looked up sharply. "No, John. Not like this."

"He's a Gray," John shot back. "He's one of _them. _He _deserves _to die."

"He's an unarmed prisoner," Kyle countered. "You can't kill him in cold-blood. It's not who you are."

"He shot Allison," John said darkly.

"You're not the only one who cares about Allison," Kyle said softly, the pain evident in his tone. "Believe me. I love that girl like she was my own daughter, and it's killing me to see her lying in there, injured by the actions of that man. There's nothing I'd like better than to see this piece of worm-ridden filth riddled with a dozen bullet holes. But you can't kill him in revenge. You're not a murderer."

"Yes I am." If he was still living in 2009, he would have felt shame admitting this. But now, in the middle of war, with this burning hatred still simmering in his gut…he didn't care. "This is war, Kyle. People die in war."

"Not like this, John," Kyle insisted. "You kill him like this…and you're no better than Skynet."

John hesitated before looking over at Derek. "Get him to talk. We need to know where he came from."

Derek cracked a smile. "With pleasure."

********

Derek sat down across from the Gray, keeping his face serious and impassive. Already the Gray seemed to be getting squirmy. _Good, _Derek thought with grim satisfaction. _I'll get you to talk. _"The General wants me to get some information out of you," Derek began. He reached down, to the sheath that was hooked into his boot, and pulled out his knife, slowly just for effect. He held up the shiny weapon, giving the Gray a pointed look. "He was non-specific as to how."

The Gray tried not to squirm, but Derek could tell from his eyes that he was terrified. "You can't do that. Even your General doesn't have the guts to kill me."

"Oh, he has the guts," Derek corrected. "He just doesn't have the heart." Despite his threat and promise to kill Rodriguez, John Connor cared too much to murder carelessly. That was part of what made him a great leader.

"John's a great man," Derek continued. "Me?" He pressed the tip of the knife into the Gray's arm, drawing blood and a yelp. "I'm just a good man." Derek shrugged and made the same cut on the other side, eliciting the same response. "Well, I'm alright…"

"Stop!" the Gray cried, face contorting with the pain. "What do you want to know?"

Derek leaned forward, no longer playing around. "Do you report to Fischer?"

"Fischer."

"Charles Fischer," Derek repeated. "You deaf as well as stupid? Where is he?"

The Gray was silent for a moment before a knowing smile lit his face. "You want to kill him."

_You bet I do. _Derek suppressed the memory of Charles Fischer standing over top of him, injecting him with some kind of weird medication while a class of machines watched.

"You remember capturing First Lieutenant Derek Reese?" he asked.

The Gray slowly grinned. "You were one of the experiments…"

The smug look didn't last long. Derek dug the knife in again, deeper this time, and the Gray shrieked. "Tell me where he is!" Derek demanded.

"I don't report to Fischer," the Gray whispered, sweat beading on his forehead. "Skynet gave me this mission. I was supposed to find and kill Sarah Connor's son, John, the prophesied leader of mankind. Though I'm still not sure why. That kid can't be the one who's leading the entire resistance."

Derek smiled faintly. _Everybody says that_.

"That's all I know," the Gray insisted. "Are you going to kill me?"

Derek kept his face deadly still. "I don't kill captives."

The Gray's face relaxed ever so slightly, and Derek resisted the urge to smile. _Fool. _

"If you're not going to kill me," the Gray began hesitantly "Are you going to let me go?"

"Oh, Kevin…"Derek smirked. _Let you go? You're stupider than I thought. _"I never said I wasn't going to kill you. I said I wasn't going to kill a captive."

He sliced through the Gray's bindings and the ropes fell off. The Gray looked up at Derek in confusion and Derek shrugged. "Whoops, you escaped…"

The gray's eyes widened as Derek reached behind his back and drew his gun. "Now I've got no choice…"

************

**Depot 2 Infirmary**

John sat on the edge of Allison's cot, holding her hand tightly as her eyes slowly opened. He'd just received word from Lauren that Allison was out of danger. She'd be back on her feet in no time. He'd never felt so relieved in his life.

Lauren came over to his side, cleaning up some of her medical supplies. "So she jumped in front of a bullet," she said with a grin. "She's an idiot, you know that right?"

John smiled fondly. "Yeah, but she's my idiot."

Allison grinned widely, still a little dazed from the painkillers.

"What are you going to do with the Gray?" Lauren questioned.

John's smile faded. He honestly had no idea. Once Allison was out of the danger zone, his hatred had slowly started to fade away. He still certainly wasn't going to let Rodriguez go, especially after shooting Allison, but he no longer felt the incontrollable urge to go in there with a nine millimeter and put a bullet in his brainpan.

He sighed heavily. "I'm not really sure." He couldn't murder the man, not now, not in cold blood. Kyle was right about that. But they couldn't let him go either. Which left John at a crossroads.

He was still pondering it as he walked down the hall towards the holding cells. When he got inside, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. He took a deep breath before pushing the door open and stepping into Rodriguez's cell. He flicked on the light and his mouth dropped open. The Gray was lying on the ground, eyes open but lifeless, a dark red circle stained on his shirt.

"Wha—"

"It had to be done, John."

John twisted around to see Derek standing in the doorway. "I couldn't let you do it," his uncle continued. "And it needed to be done. He knew too much. He couldn't stay here anymore, but neither could we let him leave." He shrugged casually. "I didn't see any other choice."

John would have loved to say that Derek was wrong, that killing Rodriguez wasn't the answer, but he found himself agreeing. He couldn't think of any outcome that wouldn't have ended in someone's death.

"Why you?" John asked sullenly.

"I hate the Grays. They're monsters, the bane of the human race."

"Is this cuz you were captured by one?" John retorted bitterly. "By Fischer?"

Derek's gaze darkened with purpose. "I'll find him. I'll find him one day, I swear."

"I'm not gonna stop you," John replied. He doubted he even could, not if Derek's lust for vengeance ran that deep. "Just don't let revenge cloud your judgment." He turned and walked to the door, pausing before he left. "Oh, and get rid of that body."

*********

John smiled warmly at Allison, who was finally able to sit up in bed and speak coherently. "How are you feeling?"

"I was shot," Allison retorted. "What do you think?"

John chuckled softly. "At least you're acting normal again." He reached over and pressed the play button on his stereo.

Chopin started playing out of the speakers and Allison's face lit up with recognition. "My mother used to dance to this all the time."

John smiled softly. It was the song Cameron had danced to often as well, her ballet perfect and flawless, just like everything else about her. Most Terminators were all brute force and brawn, but Cameron…she was different, she was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. She was a creature of extraordinary grace.

_Are you asking me to dance?_

_Dance is the hidden language of the soul. _

John allowed himself a small smile. Allison and Cameron were a lot alike really…except for the whole flesh and blood versus flesh, blood, and metal. He remembered spying on Cameron occasionally. He'd seen her dancing in her room, when she thought no one was watching. Her spontaneous routines of ballet that were always danced to Chopin…

John smiled sadly, a single tear falling down his face at the memory of Cameron.

She always did love to dance.

* * *

**Next: **The hero of mankind finds a hidden message from someone very close to him.


	9. Born of the Legend

_author's notes: Wow, thanks for everyone who gave such awesome reviews! I'm really glad you're all enjoying the story._

_Emphaty Turtle - Dogs are really good at sensing hostile intentions. Kevin wasn't a Terminator, but Max could tell/sense that he was there to harm John._

_Kirirur - The plasma rifle question gets answered here in this episode. The one John found in the safehouse was just one that his mother had placed there sometime between 2009 and 2024. _

_newbiepencil - As for Firefly references, the "are you asking me to dance" is what Kaylee says to Simon after she gets shot in the stomach in the first episode. There's a couple references from Serenity as well. And I'm sure there will be a few more before the story is over. _

_fairedust - Ha ha. You're right, Max does deserve a bone. :)_

_ecrm - Weaver is definitely still going to be around, not so much this chapter but the next._

_Castaway5 - Hey, I used your "next week on BTF" idea. :) Thanks again!_

_talli.b - Don't worry. There's definitely some Jameron coming in the next few chapters._

_demonlord999 - Yes, I have a few chapters later on about the worldwide resistance and John's role. Thanks for the input._

* * *

_Previously on Born to Fight: JOHN: Max, no! (Max bites Rodriguez. Rodriguez shoots Allison.) KYLE: What are we going to do with him? (Derek shoots the Gray) DEREK: It had to be done. JOHN: (Allison in infirmary) How are you feeling? ALLISON: I was shot, what do you think? JOHN: At least you're acting normal again. DEREK: (pointing at John's plasma rifle) When do we start getting those issued? JOHN: If I find a secret stash somewhere. DEREK: Doesn't seem very promising. (John gives Kyle the photo of Sarah) JOHN: It's my mother. WEAVER: Sarah Connor died two years after Judgment Day. Cancer. (John sorts through the boxes brought back from the desert safehouse. Sarah Connor's box remains unopened.) _

**Chapter Nine:**

**Born of the Legend**

**November 14, 2025**

**Depot 2**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

John Connor sat silently in his bunk staring up at the ceiling. If the Resistance calendar was accurate, today was his eighteenth birthday. He snorted quietly. Like there was really anything to celebrate.

He wasn't even sure anyone celebrated birthdays any more.

When he asked Allison, she merely shrugged. "No one has celebrated birthdays in years," she explained quietly. "I haven't had one since I was two."

"When's your birthday?"

"July 22nd," she replied. "I remember the last birthday party I had…" her eyes softened and grew distant, mouth turning upwards into a small, but sad, smile. "I had a party in Griffith Park. My parents…all my friends were there. We had balloons and cake and ice cream…" She paused letting more of the memories come back. "I saw this boy ride past the park on his bike and I told my father about it. That's what I wanted for my birthday present. A bike. He said 'next year.'"

She laughed humorlessly. "You know the story from there."

John cast his eyes downward at the floor. "There was no next year…" Because only one month before her next birthday, Allison Young's life had been destroyed, along with three billion other people and the entire world they had known.

He glanced up again slowly to see Allison look away, a single tear running down her face, her lip trembling. He felt horrible for forcing her to bring up such awful memories. His own birthday parties had never exactly been pleasant either. He knew more than anyone what it was like to lose the people he loved.

"Maybe we can give you a party next year," John suggested.

Allison gazed at him skeptically. "Yeah, let's just go out and get some balloons and cake. Maybe Skynet will start manufacturing them."

"Don't worry," John said with a small smile. "We'll think of something." And he would. Because this was a new future, a new hope. With so little to be thankful for, birthdays were even more important to remember.

She slowly nodded, wiping away a lone tear as she offered him a comforting smile. "Happy birthday, John."

***********

_It was his birthday, his sixteenth birthday. It was supposed to be special, despite the fact that they had much more important things to do. Despite the fact that the Turk was still out there, his mother had insisted they spend the evening celebrating. She'd even sent Cameron out for a cake._

_It had turned out to be the worst day of his life. _

_The explosion came from outside, from the jeep. Before John even had time to panic about Cameron's fate, Sarkissian and his men had burst through the front door, attacking him and his mom and tying them up. The man then proceeded to beat Sarah violently. At that point, all that was running through John's head was hatred and revenge. He'd killed Sarkissian, snapped his neck._

_His first kill._

_The end of innocence. _

_Cameron had come through the door, part of her face torn up, bits of her clothing burned by the explosion, but he'd felt an incredible relief pass through his entire body. She was safe, she was alive. His relief slowly faded as Cameron stared at him as though he were a stranger, cocking her head slightly as if processing something before bringing up her gun._

_Shock exploded through John's brain and he moved instinctively, feeling his mother yank him behind her body, shielding him. Another explosion shook the house and Cameron disappeared, knocked backwards down the staircase. His mind was screaming is disbelief and he crawled forward._

_No! She couldn't be gone! Why was this happening to him? Cameron's lethal hand suddenly rose up, gripping the edge of the floor. Sarah urged John into action, all but shoving him out the window as they fled from the cyborg who had dedicated her life to protecting him._

_They'd run, but they couldn't hide forever. Cameron had found him, had been ready to kill him when Sarah had trapped her between the two trucks. John was running on adrenaline, barely able to think about what he was doing as he crawled across the truck and positioned himself behind Cameron's immobile head, screwdriver in hand._

_He hadn't expected her to say anything to him at all._

_And never in his wildest dreams did he expect her to say what she did._

_"John, you can't do this," she stated evenly. "You don't know what you are about to do."_

_"Yes, I do," he hissed through gritted teeth. "You're gonna kill me."_

_"No," Cameron replied. He felt a pain tearing at his heart but he didn't believe her for one second. It was just a trick. "John, you can't do this. You're not doing the right thing, this is not the right thing, John."_

_He struggled trying to get the cap off her chip portal, the screwdriver not able to grip the edge. Or maybe it was just that his hands were shaking too badly._

_"Things are good now," Cameron started. "Things are fine now, I ran a test. Things are good now, I'm fixed now."_

_John paused, pulling his hand back and looking down at her. "You can trust me now, everything's good now."_

_"What are you waiting for?" Sarah shouted angrily from the cab of the truck. John turned toward her, briefly meeting her eyes. They were angry, furious even._

_"She doesn't know, she doesn't," Cameron explained, her tone of voice slowly changing from the usual monotone. "I'm good now. I'm good. I ran a test. Everything's perfect, I'm perfect."_

_John felt frozen, numb. He _wanted _to believe Cameron. He desperately wanted to believe her. _It's a trick, _he told himself._

_"John!" Sarah screamed, trying to get his attention._

_"I'm sorry for what I did," Cameron continued. Her voice was beginning to sound more like a plea. He'd never heard her sound like that before. It was tearing his heart out. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "It wasn't me. You have to understand it wasn't me. That wasn't me…"_

_He brought the screwdriver toward her head again and her fear and frightened cries increased. "You can't let this happen, John, you can't…" The cap finally popped free and the chip was right there, right within reach. All he had to do was reach in and pull it._

_All that was stopping him was Cameron's increased pleading. "Please! Listen to me!" she cried desperately. "Listen to me I don't want to go!" She was looking up at him, her eyes wide with fear, tears shining in them. He felt the pain like a stab in his heart. "Please, John, please. John, listen to me, I don't want to go."_

_He didn't want her to go either. Her eyes grew wider, more frantic. "Please? John? Please?" The desperate, pleading, tearful expression she was giving him was clouding his mind. He had her life in his hands… and he didn't want to kill her._

_"I'm good now! Listen to me, I don't want to go! I'm sorry! That wasn't me! I'm fixed now, I ran a test. Everything's perfect. You can trust me!"_

_"John Connor!" His mother's voice was strong, demanding him to do what he needed to do. _

_He gripped the screwdriver tightly, finally deciding that his mother was right. This had to end now, even if pulling out Cameron's chip would mean pulling out a piece of his own heart as well. _

_"I love you!" Cameron blurted out, crying. "I love you, please!"_

_John felt the shock run through his entire body. Until he heard the words, he hadn't know how much he'd secretly been dying to hear them. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Sarah Connor no longer was there…the trucks were no longer there._

_There was just him and Cameron, her tearful face ripping his heart out. He hated seeing her cry._

_"I love you, John, and you love me!"_

John's eyes snapped open, his breath catching in his throat as the vision faded. But the memory remained.

His sixteenth birthday.

The worst day of his life.

The best day of his life.

John buried his face in his pillow, finding it wet with tears. He could never love anyone the way he loved Cameron Phillips. No one, not even Allison, could ever take her place.

He still cared about Allison. Maybe more than he should. He wasn't even sure how to interpret what he was feeling. All he knew was even if he did care for Allison, his heart would always belong to Cameron.

And she could have it back whenever she showed up.

***********

**March 2026**

**Depot 2**

They went for four months without any attacks.

John knew the reason for the delay. John Henry and Weaver were busy taking the fight to Skynet with their machine resistance. Plus Skynet was still recovering from the loss of the Triple 8 factory as well as the failed capture of Kansas Bunker, which Martin Bedell had given his life to prevent. Meanwhile, with Skynet having these setbacks, the resistance was growing even stronger.

Derek and Kyle had taken to training up some of the tunnel rats, giving them advanced practice with detecting and taking down Terminators. Even Max and the other dogs were kept in shape, though Max alone had proved his worth by detecting a hostile presence that was human. John still didn't know if Max just had a better sixth sense about intentions or if maybe he smelled Terminator on Rodriguez from all the times the Gray had been in contact with metal.

Either way, John was infinitely glad to have his new dog at his side. In the wake of the Gray infiltrator, though, Derek had suggested John be on the lookout for a new bunker, someplace he could set up his "Connor camp" with only a select few soldiers trusted with the knowledge of its location, maybe even devising some sort of tag they had to wear in order to get inside.

John thought the idea was good in theory, though he wasn't sure where he could find the sort of bunker Derek had in mind, especially something that Skynet would not be able to find and simply blow up.

John kept track of the date avidly. It was March 2026. Cameron said she had come from 2027, and he kept counting the days until he would finally find her in this timeline. Of course, first thing was first. He still had to convince Weaver to let him see John Henry. John hadn't forgotten his solemn promise to find the machine who had, in essence, killed Cameron.

Even though John Henry was supposedly on the side of the Resistance, John wasn't sure what he would do when he was finally face to face with Cameron's killer.

With nothing else to do for the time being, he finally worked up enough courage to open his mother's box that had been taken from the safehouse. He'd been waiting, afraid of what he'd find inside, afraid he would breakdown even looking at some of Sarah's things. He'd never even really got the chance to say goodbye to her.

When he finally got the box opened, he found that it didn't contain much. Like the rest, she had some clothes, guns, and ammo, but he didn't care about that. What he was looking for was anything sentimental, anything she had treasured.

There were only two things inside that fell into that category. One was a small index card with Sarah's pancake recipe written on it. John allowed himself a small smile at that. The other was a yellow-backed book he didn't recognize until he read the title. It was a copy of the _Wizard of Oz_.

Already he could feel the tears welling in his eyes as he cracked open the book, staring at the first pages. He remembered her reading this to him when he was little. She would read it in Spanish…he always liked that.

He flipped through the book until he reached the back cover, frowning at the folded up piece of notebook paper taped to the inside. When he carefully peeled it off and unfolded it, he realized with shock that it was a letter.

A letter from his mother.

He swallowed hard before he began reading.

_Dear John,_

_I didn't want to write this letter to you. I kept putting it off because I didn't want to say goodbye. But it looks like I may not be able to see you in the future. Where you are, I am probably already dead. If this is the case…then I'm so sorry, John. Cameron was right, I am sick. Cancer. I don't know if she ever told you this, but when we first time jumped, Cameron told me I died of cancer in 2005. We jumped over my death that time, but I'm afraid it only postponed the inevitable. The doctors say I'll be lucky to last another year. The worst part is that Judgment Day is next year. I won't even be able to be buried next to Kyle, next to your father._

John felt a tear slide down his cheek, but he smiled softly. In a way, she actually was next to Kyle. His father carried her picture close to his heart. He blinked the tears from his eyes and began reading again.

_But I'm not giving up. I know I have a few years of fight left in me. It's not my time yet. I'm doing everything I can to prevent Judgment Day. Ellison is helping me and taking care of Savannah at the same time. But if you're in a future where the machines are still in charge…well, I guess I don't succeed. I know I've always said there's no fate but what we make, but I'm beginning to think that this _is _the fate we make. The fate that humans make for ourselves. Despite everything we've done, the world still ends. Maybe it will happen no matter what we do._

_If this is the case, then Judgment Day is coming soon and there's nothing we can do to stop it._

_What we can do is prepare for it. We've already begun stockpiling food and supplies in underground storage facilities. Right now, we have about ten of them scattered around the US and all are stocked with a large supply of everything you'll need. We put them in locations where they should be safe from the missiles and ready for you to use in the future. I have also tracked down Danny Dyson, who has taken after his father in the way of technology. But instead of helping Cyberdyne create Skynet, Danny has begun aiding our cause, creating technology and weapons for the resistance to use in the future – one being the phased plasma rifle you most likely found in the desert safehouse. We've planted several of those in the underground facilities along with the food._

_We're going to be moving around for a while in preparation for Judgment Day. If you find some of the other safehouses, I'll try to leave messages for you in there too. I've enclosed directions for you to the location I think is closest to where you are, provided you remained in LA when you time jumped. Savannah told me to tell you that she left a surprise for you inside._

***********

**Depot 2 **

**Meeting Room**

"Okay," John began, snapping into full general mode as he paced in front of the crowd of soldiers in Depot 2. "I'm taking a scouting group to a location my mother left for me. Hopefully when we return, we'll have some fresh supplies and munitions for the resistance to use."

"Watch out for Skynet," Major Perry cautioned. "They haven't launched an offensive attack in a while. Something's going on and I don't like it."

John resisted the urge to smile. "Yes, Major. Something _is_ going on."_ Weaver is working her magic. _"Don't worry. We'll be careful. Can you hold down the fort here?"

Perry saluted crisply. "Yes sir."

"Good. Kyle, Derek, you two are coming with me."

Allison took a step forward. "I'm coming too."

John shook his head. "No, you're still healing."

"John, that was four months ago," she protested. "I'm fine. I'm _going _with you."

He'd learned by now that it was useless to argue with her. "Okay, fine," he relented. "Kyle, Derek, Allison. Get Jason Reynolds too. I can trust him."

"Billy Wisher," Derek spoke up.

John cocked an eyebrow. "Wisher?"

"He's our engineer, a good tech," Derek reminded him. "He's a good guy too. And we can use his expertise. Your mother wouldn't have just left the doors of this safehouse open. In order to keep it safe from the tin cans, she'd have to have some kind of encrypted pass code or something. Wisher can get you through them."

John nodded his consent. "Alright. Bring him."

Derek rushed off and brought back Billy Wisher in less than three minutes. John took the tech aside to explain. "We're going to Sarah Connor's safehouse and I'm told…"

"Sarah Connor?" Wisher repeated. John saw the startled look on his face.

"You knew her," John stated, studying Wisher intently.

Billy hesitated, clearly working through something in his head. "…I…I knew her name. She was the one who blew up Cyberdyne the first time. They called her a terrorist, but she knew all along and she tried to tell us. She came on the televisions the day Skynet became sentient, warning us all to take refuge in rural areas, in bunkers…out of major cities. She saved a lot of lives."

John swallowed the lump in his throat. "She was a hero."

"She was a legend," Wisher agreed.

The corner of John's mouth lifted into a smile as he thought, _Son of the legend…_

He turned to see Kyle Reese smiling to himself, almost proudly. His hand seemed to enter his pocket unconsciously, fingering the photo he kept of Sarah Connor.

John turned back to his soldiers. "Alright, let's move out!"

*******

The trek to the safehouse was relatively quiet. Once they had to duck for cover as an HK passed by overhead, but no Terminator patrols gave them any trouble. When they arrived at the coordinates Sarah had left, John got his first glimpse of his mother's handiwork.

It was much more than a safehouse, John realized with awe. It was a complete bunker, sealed with impenetrable blast doors.

"Can't get through that," Derek muttered, tapping on the barrier. "Those are blast doors. Bomb shelter. I don't even think Skynet could take it out."

"Terminator proof," John added with a nod. "Even if they could find it, they couldn't get in."

"Connor," Wisher called. John walked over to meet Billy, who showed him a small keypad right next to the blast doors. "Four letter code," Wisher explained. "It must be something your mom chose."

Jason laughed. "That's easy. J-O-H-N." He took a step forward toward the keypad, but John grabbed him by the sleeve and yanked him backwards, eyes never leaving the keypad.

"No," he said firmly. "She wouldn't have used that, it's way too obvious. That's the first thing any Terminator would think."

"They're machines," Derek reminded him coolly. "They don't think."

"_Process," _John amended. What would his mother have used that Skynet wouldn't suspect. KYLE? No, it was still too risky…

Wisher grimaced. "Uhh…"

John paused in his thinking process at the disturbed sound from his tech expert. "That didn't sound good."

Billy winced. "I hate to be the bearer of more bad news, but we only got one chance to crack the passcode before it locks us out completely. And I can't hack into the system either. If we tamper with it in the slightest, it'll lock us out. That's what makes it Terminator proof."

"Yeah, but it also makes it John Connor proof too," John grumbled.

Wisher whistled through his teeth. "This is a high-technology lock. Dang, Connor. Your mom certainly knew what she was doing."

"She usually does."

And he usually knew what she was thinking too. Except for now of course, the one time he needed to the most. She would have chosen something that Skynet would have no knowledge of, but something that John would know.

"John?" Kyle prodded. "You said your mom wrote you these coordinates. Did she offer any other clues there?"

John shook his head slowly. There wasn't any clues in the note itself, and he'd just found it taped to the inside of the Wizard of ---

A lightbulb went off in his head and he stepped up to the keypad, punching in the letters to spell TOTO. The blast doors slowly slid open and his team cheered.

"What's Toto?" Allison asked.

"It's the dog from Wizard of Oz," John said quickly.

"Wizard of Oz?"

Finally John turned to stare at her in disbelief. "You've never…" he caught himself, forcing himself to remember that Allison knew next to nothing about the world before Judgment Day. "It's a book, a story," he improvised. "I'll have to let you read it sometime."

Kyle adjusted his weapon strap, readying himself to enter. "So, welcome to Camp Toto."

As soon as John entered, he looked around the bunker in awe. Just like with the outside, the interior wasn't just a safehouse. It was a complete underground military base.

He swallowed a lump in his throat. His mother had been well-prepared. She'd prepared this for him.

"Hey, look!" Derek's thrilled voice called out. "We can all have our own plasma rifles!" John followed Derek's voice to see the older Reese brother standing in front of a long line of guns lined up in a rack on the wall.

But not only had his mother stocked the place with rifles, a jeep with a missile launcher on it, and other explosive weapons, she'd also set aside entire rooms full of nonperishable foods like cans of soup, canned vegetables, and canned fruits.

Jason Reynolds' mouth dropped open as he took in the sight. "There's enough food in here to last us for years!"

John left the soldiers in the food room as he entered a small office area off the main tunnel. Inside was a simple desk and chair and on top of the desk was a stuffed giraffe…just like the one Sav---no, it _was _the one Savannah had carried with her all the time.

John picked it up, seeing a little gift tag tied to the animal's foot. It simply read "To John, Thank you for saving me and helping me tie my shoes. I miss you. Love Savannah." The tender smile reached his eyes and he blinked away tears.

Right under the giraffe was a folded up piece of paper. John's heart leapt as he realized it was another letter from his mother. He had just unfolded it when Jason and Kyle poked their heads in.

"Hey, Connor, you wanna give us a hand?" Jason asked. "We're gonna load up some of this stuff on the jeep and transport it back to Depot 2. From there we can start distributing to all the other camps that need food."

John nodded distractedly, folding up the letter again and tucking it into his inner pocket, right next to Cameron's picture. Then he followed Kyle and Jason out the door.

**********

**Depot 2 **

The Resistance fighters at Depot 2 had been more than shocked when John Connor had driven into camp with a truck full of food and plasma rifles, along with the exciting news that the crew had blown up a Triple 8 patrol they had encountered on the return trip. The missile-laden jeep made coming and going a lot quicker and safer than ever.

John left the eager Reese brothers in charge of distributing the rifles and making plans to deliver food to needy bunkers while he entered his room and pulled his mother's second note out of his pocket once more.

John reopened the letter, sinking down to the floor. It was dated April 19th, 2011. He sucked in his breath. He knew that date. The day Skynet was born. They day they had failed.

_April 19, 2011 – Skynet has become active, just like we predicted and despite our best efforts. According to what Cameron told me, we have two days before Skynet launches the missiles. We're trying to warn people. Danny hacked into the live television feed and I was able to broadcast a warning to the public, begging them to listen and flee from the cities, to seek shelter. I'm not sure how many will believe me. I didn't have any proof, just the reminder that I knew about Skynet way back when it hadn't existed yet. If that doesn't get people thinking, I don't know what will. _

_Do you remember when Derek, Cameron, and I went on that mission to Serrano Point? Ellison and I learned that Weaver had actually taken charge of it after we stopped the Greenway Terminator. When she disappeared, we found a request from her that Ellison be in charge of not only Serrano Point, but also Zeira Corp as well. As for Serrano Point itself, Danny has been hard at work there too, installing special high tech systems for you and the Resistance to use in your future. Based on what Derek told me, I believe that Skynet will get use of this facility before you do, so we've taken measures to hide certain things. I'll explain more later._

_Ellison, Danny, Savannah, and I are going to hide in Camp Toto for when the bombs drop. If you're reading this, I assume you are already here in the same place. I knew you'd figure out the code. It was actually Savannah's idea. I was reading her the Wizard of Oz and she suggested calling this safehouse Camp Toto. _

_Anyway, if you are here, it means you've found all the supplies we left. I hope it helps. Danny spent a lot of time designing and finding people to manufacture all the plasma rifles. I'm sure Derek and Kyle will appreciate those. _

John smiled fondly. Yeah, the Reese brothers had been very enthusiastic about Danny's amazing invention. He turned the letter over to the back. This time the date listed was Judgment Day.

_April 21, 2011 – It's happened, John. Everything we fought to stop. It's been two days since Skynet went online. Danny has set up a television screen in here so we could see what's happening above ground._

_John…it's horrible. You cannot imagine the apocalypse, and I'm glad you were spared from seeing the horrors of Skynet's missile defense system. We saw the live feed from news stations, right before the atomic weapons burned them all. Playgrounds… children… just like in my nightmares. I couldn't bear to watch. It was much worse than what Kyle told me, much worse knowing it was coming, and not being able to stop it._

He could see the watermarks on the paper where teardrops had fallen from his mother's eyes. John swallowed hard. His mother was right. He could not imagine the apocalypse. He didn't want to see it. But it didn't seem fair that he got to skip out on the horror while everyone else had to live through it. His eyes returned to the page, realizing that in the next part, in the pain and sorrow of Judgment Day, his mother had started writing to his father.

_Oh, Kyle…I know you'll never be able to read this. I know John can't tell you about us, that he'll send you back in time. But I'm eternally grateful that you were there to save me that fateful day, that you gave me a son, a hero who would save your world. You were there for me when I needed you the most. Our time together was too short, but I love you more than life itself. Even after you were gone, I held you in my heart, your memory guided me through the dark times. I'll always love you. _

_John…I don't think we have much longer. So I want you to listen to me. Danny has made Serrano Point into a high-tech base that can be used for the resistance, but as I said, the machines probably have control of it right now. Danny has hidden things there for your use. There is a secret area below the main facility that cannot be found by anyone unless they know it's there. The machines won't be able to locate it. When you get there, you'll have to blow a hole in the floor of the basement. It's the only way to ensure that the place stays hidden. Inside, Danny has set up equipment for your use. He's given you the ability to reprogram the Terminator's chips, which I know you'll have to use in order to win this war. _

_I'm so very proud of you, John. I know you'll be a great leader. You're the most determined, selfless, caring person I know. I trust you to lead the human race through the dark times. You're their savior now._

_I'm sorry I cannot be with you any longer, so I'll leave you with the words Kyle Reese spoke to me, the words you spoke to me. Words that helped me through the time when I was alone and scared, words that must help you now that you are in the same position. 'I can't help you with what you must soon face, except to say that the future is not set. You must be stronger than you imagine you can be.'_

_You must be strong John. You must be strong for everyone. You must lead them through the dark times ahead. You must be their savior, the one who destroys Skynet. _

_Remember, there is no fate but what we make._

_I love you._

_-- Sarah_

The camp hallway was silent, save for the strangled sobbing coming from John Connor's quarters.

* * *

_**NEXT WEEK ON BORN TO FIGHT: **_

_JOHN: (to Allison) I promised you a birthday and John Connor always keeps his promises. [John sits across from Riley in the tunnel. His eyes widen] JOHN: Riley…when we you born? RILEY: (steps outside the bunker) I've never even seen the sun. KYLE: Maybe one day you'll be my son in law. JOHN: (laughs weakly) Imagine that. [Weaver enters John's bedroom] WEAVER: It's time. [John enters the computer room. Eyes widen in disbelief.] JOHN: Cameron?_


	10. Born to Find

_mshig11 - I knew Summer Glau's birthday was the same month as Allison's but I didn't realize they were two days apart. As for Allison's capture, yes, I have the backstory for why she was there, what happened to her squad, and all that. Thanks for pointing that out. _

_Cptlatnok - I was thinking Sarah used an old abandoned military bunker and turned it into Camp Toto, not actually building it herself. As for Skynet having access to building plans, Danny Dyson could have removed all traces of the bunker before SKynet went online._

__

**

* * *

**

_**Previously on Born to Fight**__: [On his first day in the future, John removes a chip from a Terminator] JOHN: It's the chip, the only truly irreplaceable part of the machine. KYLE: Welcome to Camp Toto. JASON: There's enough food in here to last us for years! SARAH: (in letter) Danny has made Serrano Point into a high-tech base. The machines have control of it right now. You'll have to use it in order to win this war. ALLISON: I had a party in Griffith Park. I saw a boy ride past on a bike and said that's what I want. JOHN: Maybe we can have a party next year. WEAVER: Your John may save the world, but he can't do it without mine. JOHN: Take me to John Henry. WEAVER: There is a time for everything. JOHN: The time is now._

**Chapter Ten:**

**Born to Find**

**July 8, 2026**

**Depot II**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

_"Do I have a birthday?"_

_John had stared at her thoughtfully. It was a perfectly innocent question, yet with Cameron being the one saying it there was something distinctly…sad about it. Could she really not understand that she wasn't really human? That the term "cyborg" didn't necessarily mean half-human, half-machine? That a human skin didn't make one human anymore than a fur coat made you an animal? A birthday…he didn't want to answer her question negatively, so he settled on not really answering at all._

"_I don't know," he replied with a small shrug. "Were you born?"_

_"I was built," she stated in response. John smiled slightly as a thought came to him and he rubbed the back of his neck._

_"Well, then, maybe you have like a built day."_

_She'd seemed content with his answer and he couldn't help but grin wider at the entire conversation. Cameron's childlike innocence was always refreshing...even if he did know she was just a machine._

_Or was she?_

John sat up in bed, shaking off the memory. Birthdays and builtdays. It struck him that he never had actually done anything for Cameron's built day. Then again, she'd never even told him her built day.

Once more, his mind strayed back to Allison. He'd promised her a birthday too. July 22nd, she had told him. In just two short weeks. And he hadn't even thought about what one would give as a present in the future. Besides a dog and a gun, both of which she already possessed.

But what would Allison really want? Everyone wanted the war to end, and he was doing his best to get them to that point, but there had to be something tangible he could find or make for her.

_"I remember my last birthday…I had a party in Griffith Park. My parents…all my friends were there. We had balloons and cake and ice cream…I saw this boy ride past the park on his bike and I told my father about it. That's what I wanted for my birthday present. A bike. He said 'next year.'"_

John suddenly realized what he had to do. He wasn't completely sure how to do it, but he just knew he had to figure out a way somehow. Derek was working with unloading the boxes of food from the jeep when John approached.

"Hey, Derek, do you remember what a bicycle looks like?"

"A bicycle?" Derek scoffed as if the answer was obvious. "Of course. What, you think I'm stupid?"

"No. I need you to help me build one."

Derek finally turned away from his work to regard John skeptically. "Build one?"

"For Allison," John clarified. "For her birthday."

Derek chuckled as he started unloading again. "Isn't that cute? We're celebrating birthdays now?"

John frowned at his uncle's tone of voice. "Why not?"

"There's never been much to celebrate before," Derek reminded him.

"Sure there is," John protested. "You're celebrating surviving another year."

"Yeah. Live to die another day. Very comforting."

"Fine, think of it this way," John suggested. "We're one year closer to winning this war."

"If we can win at all…" Derek mumbled.

John felt a sudden anger rise inside him and he grabbed Derek's shoulder. "Hey! Listen to me. You can't have this attitude. It doesn't matter what happened to that Gray, or what happened to Martin. That doesn't dictate the war."

Derek's hardened gaze slowly began to fade.

"One battle, Reese," John continued firmly. "One! You need to get your head in the game. I'm not the only leader around here."

Derek scowled, but John could see his uncle was beginning to see his reasoning. "Get my head in the game," he muttered to himself. "Fine." He started his work again and John turned to leave, deciding that Derek still wasn't going to be much help.

"Connor!" his uncle interrupted, causing John to stop and turn back. "You remember what a baseball glove looks like?"

"Of course."

"Could you randomly make one from scratch?"

"No…"

"Bingo," Derek agreed, turning back to his unloading. John took a deep breath.

"Then do you know who would know how? To make a bike, that is."

Derek didn't even need to think. "Wisher."

"Wisher," John repeated. "So he's the tech, engineer, codebreaker, and bike maker now. He seems like the go-to guy for everything. Remind me again why I keep _you_ around."

Derek grinned broadly. "Me, I'm just a soldier."

"Lieutenant," John stated.

"_Colonel,"_ Derek corrected. "You promoted me, remember."

"Oh, right. How could I forget? My first mistake."

Derek chuckled and John found the levity refreshing. Derek's demeanor now was much different from the stone cold killer who had interrogated the Gray who'd shot Allison. Derek right now was like John's uncle, the uncle he'd glimpsed in the park watching his younger self and brother play baseball as they celebrated John's sixteenth birthday with ice cream. That was the Derek Reese he was looking at right now, the soft side that had been buried deep down from years of war.

"Well," Derek announced, breaking the silence. He grabbed his brand new plasma rifle. "I've got a class to teach."

"Class?"

Derek patted his new rifle almost affectionately. "These kids gotta learn how to handle the new weaponry."

"Like you're a pro."

Derek grinned again, shouldering his gun. "Well, I learned from the best, Connor."

John smiled to himself as Derek left the room. His bond with Derek had grown, but he knew better than to think it would last. Because the Derek who had come back in time hated Cameron. So obviously he hadn't trusted John's decision. John closed his eyes. There was so much he was going to have to sacrifice in order to get Cameron back. Allison's love, Derek's respect, Riley's adoration.

Kyle poked his head inside John's room. "Connor! We're going to take a truckload of these medical supplies over to Fields at Cardinal bunker. Wanna come?"

Cardinal bunker…John allowed himself a small smile. Lauren Fields must have named her new bunker after one of her favorite things to do pre-Judgment Day. Build birdhouses.

"Yeah," he said distractedly. "I'll come." He paused, frowning as the thought hit him. "Hey, have you seen Wisher?"

************

"Let me get this straight," Wisher began, rubbing his beard thoughtfully. "You want me to help you build a bike. From scratch."

"Basically," John agreed with a nod. "We could probably find most of the parts in the rubble near the bunkers. Maybe there's even some stuff inside the bunkers we could use."

"Let me guess," Wisher began with a wry smile. "Derek was the one who suggested you come to me."

"He did say that you were pretty much the go-to guy for everything," John admitted. "Tech stuff, engineering, drawing layouts for bikes…"

"Alright, I'll see what I can do…"

John was actually surprised at all the little details Wisher remembered in his blueprint. Billy was probably a kid who used to take things apart and put them back together again just to see how they worked. John joined Kyle and Derek on their supply run, searching around in the ruins and bunkers for any parts he could use on his project.

Kyle had taken him by Goldfish bunker to drop off the plasma rifles for the soldiers there. While his father was getting those issues squared away and giving an impromptu lesson on how to use the new weapons, John made his way into the civilian tunnel once more, finding Riley who was more than happy to assist John with building part of his bike.

Riley looked up from where she was using duct tape on the handlebars. "Who are you making this for?"

"Allison Young," John replied easily. He didn't miss the small, knowing smile that crossed Riley's face.

"Oh, I see."

"It's her birthday," John added.

The light faded from Riley's eyes and the smile disappeared almost instantly. "Her birthday…"

John nodded once, a bit confused by Riley's reaction. He knew by now that the Resistance hadn't celebrated birthdays before. Was Riley feeling left out or jealous in any way?

"When's your birthday?" he asked her. _Maybe I could do something for her too…_

"My birthday," Riley repeated.

"Yeah, when were you born?"

Riley held his gaze for a minute before quickly shaking her head, dropping her eyes back to the bike and going back to work ripping off pieces of duct tape. "Never mind," she mumbled. "It's not important."

John's frown deepened. "No, really. When is it?"

"John, no," she repeated, pursing her lips, not looking up anymore.

Something was wrong, he realized. He grabbed her shoulders forcing her to look up at him. "Riley…when were you born?"

She stared at him for a few long drawn out seconds before shifting her eyes to the floor again, mumbling, "April 19th. 2011."

John felt the shock course through his body and his hands dropped from her shoulders. "You were born on Judgment Day?"

"Two days before," Riley corrected. "The day Skynet went online. I don't remember any of this, of course, but I was told that Sarah Connor came on the TVs and warned everyone that on April 21st Skynet would launch an attack on the world, dropping bombs on all the cities. She warned us to get out of any heavily populated place, get underground, get to the mountains, the deserts, the rural areas. My dad was…" she hesitated, shaking her head quickly. "Well, I don't remember anything about my parents. I don't even know their names."

He could see her face contorting as she tried to hide the pain. A pain he couldn't imagine. He couldn't begin to describe the terrible loneliness he felt right now without his mother. He couldn't imagine having lived his entire life without her.

"My father," Riley continued. "He was in the Cold War or something like that, or maybe he just knew about it, but there were these underground tunnels located beneath City Hall. My parents must have believed your mother because that night we left the hospital and fled into those tunnels and stayed there. The bombs fell, the machines took over, we stayed hidden underground. I don't remember anything, but that's eventually where Jason Reynolds found me. He said my parents were dead when he arrived. He never explained how, but I heard him talking with some other soldiers."

Her voice broke as she choked on unshed tears. "I think it's my fault. I think they starved. Because they gave all the food they could find to me. To keep me healthy and strong while they went hungry."

John cast his eyes toward the ground. He understood Riley's pain more than she knew. He'd been the cause of so many deaths himself. People died for him all the time. Charlie, Derek, Martin, Sarah, Cameron…the list went on and on.

"Jason took me to Goldfish Bunker and found a lady there who had lost her baby to the machines. She nursed me for a while until one day the Terminators killed her. Then I kind of got stuck down with the tunnel rats. And this is where I've been for my entire life. I've spent fifteen years living underground. I've never even seen your world, John. I've never seen spring, autumn, winter. I've been eating garbage and stuff."

She drew in a shaky, tearful breath. "I've never even seen the sun."

That was merely the final straw for John. He felt absolutely horrible. Here he was complaining about things in this future and he'd only lived here for about two years. Riley had lived like this for her entire _life._ Fifteen years. Never setting foot on the surface, never seeing the sun.

It killed him.

"Come on," he said, rising to his feet.

Riley looked puzzled and skeptical, but she stood up with him. "Where are we going?"

"To see the sun," John replied. If his timing was right, it should be almost sunset.

"Is it safe?" she questioned. "Aren't there Terminators?"

"We'll be safe," John promised. "We'll take Max up with us."

"Who's Max?"

"My dog," John explained. "He's the best there is, capable of detecting any kind of threats. Not just Terminators, but Grays as well. He's a good dog."

As he led her up out of the civilian tunnel, he saw the curious and sometimes envious glances of some of the other tunnel rats. They probably didn't understand why he was spending time with someone at the bottom of the food chain like Riley. They probably thought he had better and more important things to do.

But right now, nothing was more important to John Connor than this.

He grabbed his gun as he approached the back door, letting Max poke his head out to sniff the surroundings, checking for any Terminators. Upon seeing that the coast was clear, John gently pulled Riley outside to stand just beyond the door.

It was perfect. The sun was setting over the horizon, casting an orange and purple tint on the clouds and the ground. He saw Riley's eyes widen in disbelief and her jaw drop in shock as she took in the beautiful sight.

He couldn't even imagine what she must be feeling right now, being able to finally see the sun for the first time in her life.

Her awestruck and wondering eyes met John's and he gave her a tender smile. "I know it's about three months late, but…" he began.

"Happy birthday, Riley."

************

**Depot II**

John had returned to Depot II and begun to work at piecing all the bike parts together. Kyle had finally come in to help, after he realized that John had been working on a secret project this entire time.

His father had been more than happy to offer his hand at finishing up John's gift.

"You're making this for Allison?" Kyle asked as he tightened the bolts on the bike's frame, which was made mostly from old steel pipes they had scavenged from the wreckage outside.

"Yeah," John said with a nod. "How'd you know?"

Kyle grinned fondly. "She told me that story too. I've always been wanting to do something for her like this." He looked up at John with gratitude. "Thank you for doing this, John. I'm glad she has someone like you."

John felt his cheeks flush and he looked away. "Sure. No problem…"

Kyle's smirk widened. "You know she's like a daughter to me. And who knows, maybe one day you'll be my son-in-law."

Kyle chuckled and John laughed weakly.

"Me, your son? Imagine that."

**********

**July 22, 2026**

**Depot II**

John pulled out a fresh can of peaches, watching Jason Reynolds eyebrows shoot up in distaste.

"_That's _her birthday cake?" he demanded incredulously. "Birthday Peaches?"

John scowled good-naturedly. "You see any cake mix around here?"

"No, but seriously, your mom should have at least given us some good food," Jason complained.

"Right," John replied sarcastically. "I'll be sure to tell her that for next time."

Kyle poked his head in the doorway, his eyes alight with eagerness. "You have the bike ready, John?"

"And the cake," John agreed, holding up the can of fruit. "Well, the peaches," he corrected.

"Good." Kyle's tone grew hushed. "I think she should be coming soon. The plasma rifle lessons ended about ten minutes ago. We have to get to the main chamber."

John scrambled to his feet, a nervous feeling suddenly settling in his stomach. What if she didn't like it? What if she thought they needed to be focused on more important things? What if it didn't mean anything to her? Panic seized him. Maybe he was doing this all wrong. It wasn't as if he'd ever thrown a birthday party for anyone. He'd barely even had a birthday himself. His mother's idea of a birthday party was pancakes in the kitchen with the gift of a flak jacket.

And he definitely wasn't going to give Allison a flak jacket. And so far, he hadn't seen any pancake mix anywhere in Camp Toto, though it's possible Sarah would have hidden it with her most prized possessions.

A good many soldiers from Depot II had gathered in the main room for the surprise party. Everyone in the entire camp knew who Allison Young was, and not only because she was basically John's second in command. They knew her for her heart, her compassion and caring nature that seemed to uplift anyone who spoke with her. They were here to celebrate with Allison.

Wells came running into the main hall, hissing, "She's coming!"

John felt the butterflies in his stomach start up again and he swallowed hard, trying to put all doubts from his mind.

Allison entered the main room and her brow furrowed in confusion at seeing them all standing there waiting.

"Surprise!" Derek shouted loudly. He frowned and turned to the rest of the soldiers, hissing, "I thought we were all supposed to yell at once…"

John struck a match and stuck it in the little hole on top of the peach can before carrying it over to her.

"I promised you a birthday," he said solemnly. "And John Connor always keeps his promises. Always."

Her eyes were shining with unshed tears and John glanced down at the makeshift candle. "I'd blow it out before the match burns out."

"Oh, right," she agreed, quickly blowing out the single candle with a happy smile. Everyone in the room started clapping.

"Sorry there's only one," John said. "We didn't have room for nineteen. And we don't actually have nineteen matches to spare…"

She laughed lightly. "Don't worry about it, John. It's…very sweet." She took the can of peaches gratefully. "And thank you for the fruit."

"That's not all!" John insisted. "There's something we've all been working on for the past two weeks…" He hurried around the corner to grab the bike.

"It was John's idea," he heard Derek clarify. "We just helped with the grunt work."

John poked his head around the corner. "Ready?"

She nodded emphatically, though he could see a bit of puzzlement in her eyes as well. He glanced back at the bike and wheeled it out, feeling a sinking feeling settle in his gut.

He felt incredibly awkward giving it to her. Sure, he, Kyle, Derek, Wisher, and even Riley had worked their butts off trying to scrounge up the parts and finish the thing, but it had to be the crappiest bike John had ever laid eyes on. Oh, it would move alright, but between the rusty bars they'd used for the frame, the paper thin rubber on the tires and the duct tape patch jobs, he had to admit it looked pretty sorry.

When Allison saw it though, her eyes lit up with astonishment and her tearful eyes found John's. He decided that maybe she just hadn't seen enough real bikes to know a bad one when she saw it. Or maybe she was just being nice. Or maybe she really did think it was a nice gesture.

"Happy birthday," he said with a crooked smile. Allison approached the bike, running a hand over the makeshift handlebar.

She turned to him with a cocked eyebrow. "Is that duct tape?

John cracked a smile. "Fixes everything. At least, my mother seemed to think so. She kept rolls of the stuff in Camp Toto."

Allison laughed softly before leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you, John. I love it." She turned to the rest of the party guests, pulled out her knife from its sheath on her boot, and slit the top of the peach can open.

"Now, who wants some birthday cake?"

*************

**July 29, 2026**

**Camp Toto**

Allison's birthday had been the highlight of the week, or really the entire month. She'd half-ridden, half-walked the bike down the Depot II hallway, mostly because the back tire was so flat it was almost non-existent.

John sat back in his cot, sighing heavily. He'd taken a small group back to Camp Toto to gather more supplies. They'd already dropped off plasma rifles, but he'd been personally wanting to take food supplies to Goldfish, knowing that the conditions there were poor, especially for the starving tunnel rats.

Like Riley.

He shook his head slowly. Riley, Allison, Derek, Kyle…all reminders of his past life. All different then he remembered, but also the same. Untainted by the horrors that would befall them in the past. Riley not yet under the corrupting influence of Jesse. Derek no longer mourning the devastating loss of his brother, Kyle no longer…well, dead. It was different, yes. But it was perfect.

Almost perfect.

Because there was one thing missing. One thing missing from his life that would make the future so much more bearable. One thing that really would make his new future perfect.

Cameron.

He was dreaming about her again, like most every night. Sometimes dreams, sometimes nightmares, always Cameron.

"John," the sharp tone brought him out of his deep sleep. John jerked upright, scooting against the wall, eyes adjusting to the darkness. He recognized the voice.

Catherine Weaver.

"It's time," Weaver said simply. She turned toward the door and John felt a flash of confusion. _Time for what? _He reached over and grabbed his plasma rifle, wanting to be prepared, but Weaver turned back around, shaking her head slowly.

"No guns. You need him, remember?"

John's eyes widened as the realization dawned on him. _John Henry. She's taking me to see John Henry. _His grip on the gun tightened. _She's taking me to Cameron's chip…to Cameron's murderer. _Weaver remained still, waiting, and finally John dropped the gun back on his bed. It didn't matter anyway. Even if he could have shot John Henry, Weaver would probably kill him. After all, Catherine had referred to John Henry as her "son" and that's exactly what Sarah Connor would do if someone had killed John.

Weaver gave a nearly imperceptible nod at John's compliance and turned to the door once more. John followed her all the way to the computer lab area of Camp Toto. He did find it vaguely disturbing that Weaver and John Henry had slipped into his secure camp without his notice. But he hadn't brought Max and the other dogs here to act as an alarm system. Maybe he never would.

As they entered the computer room, he saw Cromartie, no, John Henry, sitting in a chair, his face almost cheerful. It was weird, bizarre, even. Cromartie had never been like that. But Cromartie and John Henry were two totally different entities…they just happened to share the same body.

Just like Cameron and Allison.

"Hello," John Henry said, his voice reflecting the cheeriness of his face. John gritted his teeth, fist clenching involuntarily. He couldn't help it, couldn't help this feeling of overwhelming rage. It was the same rage he had felt when Sarkissian had been beating up his mother, the same rage he'd felt when Ellison had betrayed them and allowed his mother to be arrested, the same rage he'd felt when he'd entered Weaver's basement to find Cameron's chip gone. And now, once more, as he was facing the one who had done it.

John Henry tilted his head curiously. "You are angry."

_You don't need a computer to figure that one out. _"You killed her," John stated darkly.

John Henry looked up at Weaver, seeming confused and distressed. "You didn't explain to him?"

"I did," Weaver replied easily. "But I don't think he believed me."

John paused, trying to remember what Weaver had said. _He didn't take the chip, she gave it to him. _He shook his head. That didn't make sense, still didn't make sense. Why would Cameron have done that? How could she have done that to him?

"I did not steal her chip," John Henry explained. "She was the one who willingly gave it to me."

"Why?" John demanded. "Why would she do that?"

"She knew you could not win this war without me," John Henry replied. "She was doing this for you, John."

John felt sick once more. Even at the end, she'd been looking out for him, making sure he would be safe. He could feel his heart breaking, something he'd become accustomed to in this place. She'd sacrificed her own life for him.

Just like Charlie, Riley, and Derek.

Just like Martin Bedell.

_We all die for you. _

But she wasn't dead, not truly. She had to still exist…somewhere inside her own chip, buried under John Henry's memories and functions…she had to still be there, right?

"So you uploaded the Turk to her chip," John said flatly. "What did you do with her memories?" His voice rose in volume. "What did you do with _her_?"

"She's here," John Henry replied. "I have suppressed all of TOK715's--."

"_Cameron_," John corrected bitterly.

"All of _Cameron_'s memories into an alternate area," John Henry explained. "You can speak to her if you like."

John was sure his heart had stopped. "Wha--"

John Henry's eyes went blank and John realized that he was allowing Cameron to take control. His heart started thumping faster.

"It's best if you look at me," Weaver said from behind him, causing John to spin around towards the sound. "John Henry can imitate her voice, but he cannot change his appearance." He was about to question what she meant by that when her form slowly changed to the silvery liquid metal and then to the familiar form of Cameron.

John felt like crying at the sight of her, nearly choked on his sobs.

"John."

It was Cameron's voice and John spun back around desperately searching for the source. John Henry was staring at him and John suddenly realized what was going on. Cameron was speaking through John Henry's body and he was imitating her voice, but it was still John Henry on the outside. It would be easier for him to look at Weaver in Cameron's form to speak to her.

"John, I'm sorry." Her voice was soft, soft and sorrowful, and he found himself shaking his head slowly, mouth dry.

"I love you," he choked out.

"I know," she said. He could hear a smile in her voice, though Weaver-Cam's expression never changed. "I had to do this. You have to understand. If I hadn't given John Henry my chip, you would never have come to the future."

_Of course not! _He wanted to scream. "We would have been together!"

"I was damaged," Cameron said. "And they needed you here now. John Henry and Weaver knew that the Resistance would not last unless you came now. You must continue to lead them."

_How? How can I go on without you? _He shook his head slowly, swallowing hard. "I can't do it without you."

"You'll find me soon," she promised.

John hesitated. "And what happens when you show up?"

"We'll be together," she replied, her tone softening. "And we'll fight together." He nodded hesitantly. Born to fight, he reminded himself. No matter how much he may want to leave, his life was here now, in the future. Even if he decided to go back now, he may have changed something in the time loop. Maybe he would go back and Sarah Connor would be dead…because Kyle Reese hadn't saved her, maybe he would go back and find Cameron nonexistent, because she hadn't been sent back to protect him. Maybe he would go back and simply vanish…because Kyle and his mother had never gotten together.

He understood that now. There was no turning back, no running back to the past where everything was perfect and his family was still alive. There was no running. There was only fighting.

"John," Cameron's soft voice spoke up. "It's time to go."

He felt his heart wrench. "No!"

"Please," Cameron pleaded. "You have work to do. Please, do it for me."

"Cam, don't---."

"I'll be back," she promised strongly. "I love you, John."

John turned around to see John Henry's face go blank again, then reanimate once more, this time with John Henry in control of his own body again. Weaver morphed back into her usual form and suddenly John felt an incredible sense of loss.

"Why now?" he whispered. "Why show me now?"

"I told you there was a time for everything," Weaver said smoothly.

"It's soon isn't it?" John asked. _Please, God, let it be soon. _"Cameron in this timeline. She's coming soon?"

Weaver didn't answer him directly. "Do you still have the chip?"

"What chip?"

"The chip you removed from the Terminator on your first day in the future."

John instinctively reached into his jacket pocket, fingers closing around the small object inside. He'd kept it with him, not willing to risk someone else finding and messing with it. "Yes, why?"

"Cameron's memories are capable of being downloaded from John Henry's chip," Weaver replied. She paused to let the implications of that sink in. John's breath came out in a whoosh. Suddenly, Weaver and John Henry weren't the enemy, weren't the ones who had been keeping him from Cameron. They were his best friends, the ones who were actually working to _help _him reunite with his cyborg love. He knew better than to think she was actually doing this for him alone. She had a motive of her own, whether it was simply that she needed John to be focused on the task at hand, and not on revenge, or out of some kind of loyalty towards Cameron.

Either way, he was incredibly grateful. He could have hugged her, if she were real, that is.

Weaver carefully removed John Henry's chip and hooked it into the computer as John took a seat, watching with fascination as the chip's contents appeared. He didn't even consider messing with John Henry. There was no need. John Henry hadn't murdered Cameron; she had, in essence, self-terminated.

All in the name of saving John Connor.

So in reality…John Connor had murdered Cameron.

He quickly pushed that thought away. _No, _he told himself. _You can't think that way. She wouldn't want you to. _He stared at the computer screen. He found the contents of Cameron's original chip and moved them onto the T-850's chip, leaving all of the Turk files on Cameron's old chip.

"It's done," he said quietly.

"Good," Weaver stated from the corner. "You may replace John Henry's chip."

And he understood why she had him do it, why she made him reactivate John Henry. It was to get rid of the hate, to make sure he was willing to work with John Henry now, not work to hunt him down. She wanted them to understand that alone they were nothing.

United, they would win.

He still needed John Henry and his machine rebellion.

After fifteen seconds, John Henry's eyes refocused and he stood up, looking down at John. "Were you successful?"

John nodded slowly and the corners of John Henry's mouth turned up. "Good. She would have wanted that."

John Henry started for the door and John clutched the chip to his chest, looking up after the cyborg. "Thank you."

John Henry returned a cheery smile. "You're welcome." He exited the computer lab and John was left alone with Weaver and the chip with Cameron's soul in it.

"You still have your job to do, Connor," Weaver reminded him. "Serrano Point."

"I know," John replied quietly. "I've already been thinking about that."

A slow smile spread across Weaver's impassive face. "Good. You're learning."

That was her task, he realized. This whole thing with him and Cam, with John Henry finally releasing Cameron's memories to John's care, it was all just to resolve the issue for now, so he wouldn't be worrying about revenge against John Henry, so he would work with the machine rebellion, so he would be able to focus on the war without being distracted by Cameron's ultimate fate in John Henry's hands. Because now, he held her fate in his hands once more, her life was in his control.

_I did it, _he realized with a jolt of pride and incredulity. He'd partially succeeded in his true mission, in why he'd actually come here. He'd found Cameron's chip, and in doing so, he had done what he'd promised. He'd taken back her future.

But now, all that he could do was wait for her body to show up. Only then would he truly have what he wanted most. Only then could he truly turn his attention to the Resistance and the rebellion.

He'd find her. He'd sworn to find her.

As soon as he had Cameron back, in one piece and with her own memories again…

Then the real war would begin.

* * *

**Next Week on Born to Fight: **JESSE: (holds can of fruits and vegetables) Carrots and apples. The only good thing that's come of this war. JOHN: Round up the troops. We're going to take Serrano Point. KYLE: That's one of the machines main hold points. DIETZE: There's something you're not telling us, Connor. Who are these mysterious allies? JOHN: You just have to trust me. DEREK: Connor, if we lose… JOHN: That's not going to happen. This is our future, our fate. ALLISON: The fate that we make.


	11. Born to Conquer

_Author's note: I'm very sorry, but I will be gone for the next two weeks on vacation and will be unable to post new chapters. Just wanted to let you all know so you don't think I'd forgotten or anything like that. The next episode will be posted Monday July 6th._

_fairedust - More is explained in this chapter, but basically John is taking time with Riley because he feels guilty that she was killed because of him. He recognizes that he can't prevent her death because he doesn't know how it would affect the past, but he does feel protective of her._

_Eddie Kay - Not sure if you got my PM or not, but chapters are posted every Monday._

_hutzus - John Henry needs Cameron's chip because it is more powerful and advanced than the T-850s. Eventually when the real Cameron returns, John will just upload the contents of the T-850 chip into her original chip._

_demonlord999 - Yes, Derek is currently a Colonel based on the fact that he and his brother were originally leaders in the Resistance since John was not there for a long time. So I had to make him a higher rank than just Lt. Though there is a chance he may get demoted later, which will connect it back to the series. :)_

_AsterSky - Ooh, I totally forgot about Jayne's chain of command quote. That actually fits very well with something Derek would say. Thanks for the suggestion!_

* * *

_Previously on Born to Fight: ALLISON: It's okay to grieve, John. The fact that you hurt deeply just means you cared deeply. JOHN: I'm taking a scouting group to a location my mother left for me. [Enter Camp Toto] DEREK: Hey look! We can all have our own plasma rifles! SARAH: (in letter) Danny has made Serrano Point into a base for the resistance. There is a secret area below the facility. [John visits Goldfish bunker] JOHN: Riley… when were you born? RILEY: April 19. 2011. The day Skynet went online. I've never even seen the sun. JOHN: (takes Riley outside into the light) Happy birthday, Riley. JOHN: (throws birthday party for Allison) I promised you a birthday. WEAVER: (enters John's room) It's time. CAMERON: You must continue to lead them. Please, do it for me. JOHN: (downloads her onto a new chip) It's done. WEAVER: You still have your job to do, Connor. Serrano Point. JOHN: I know._

**Chapter Eleven:**

**Born to Conquer**

**December 2, 2026**

**Goldfish Bunker**

John had finally pulled together a small squad to travel to the ocean's edge Goldfish bunker with food and supplies. He knew that many of his soldiers wondered why John Connor always came on the Goldfish Bunker runs. In all honesty, it was because ever since he had met her in this timeline, he had felt an overwhelming need to protect Riley. He didn't love her, of course not, but he had cared about her, and she'd been through so much because of him. She'd died for him, just like Martin Bedell had, just like Derek and Sarah had.

He couldn't stand to see anything else happen to her.

Jesse, the ranking officer at Goldfish, had met his team at the entrance as Major Perry and Lieutenant Reynolds began dragging in some crates.

"We brought food," John announced to Jesse. "Real food." He took a crowbar and pried a crate open, pulling out two cans, holding them out for her inspection. His hatred for Jesse had died out some, but only because he knew this wasn't the same Jesse who had killed Riley. Not yet, at least. The desire to hurt her, to make her pay for everything she'd done to him, was still there, buried deep down, but he understood that at least for now he needed her. She was the top naval officer at Goldfish bunker and that made her a valuable asset. And, eventually, a dangerous rebel.

Jesse took the two cans from his hands and looked at them curiously. "Carrots and apples, huh?"

John felt the words pierce his heart. Riley's words… the words she'd heard from Jesse… His eyes followed Jesse's to the food, realizing that by chance he had picked out a container of canned apples and one of carrots.

Jesse smiled slightly. "Carrots and apples," she repeated. "The only good thing that's come of this war."

_Carrots and apples. Happy thoughts, _Riley had said. She'd gotten the phrase from Jesse, and up until now he'd never known why she'd used it. He shook his head. I _started the phrase. My whole life is a paradox!_

When Jesse looked up at him again, he saw a new respect in her eyes. "Thanks…General."

John felt a responding smile of his own. "You're welcome." He picked up a can of soup from the crate.

"Reynolds, Perry, take this stuff to wherever Commander Flores tells you," he ordered. He looked to Jesse again. "Do you mind if I pay a visit to your civilian tunnel?"

Jesse frowned, no doubt wondering why, but she nodded her consent. "Of course."

John nodded once to his soldiers and backed away. By now he had memorized the layout of Goldfish Bunker and knew the way to the civilian tunnel by heart.

Riley's face lit up when she saw him enter the tunnels. The last time he'd been here it was to scrounge up parts for Allison's birthday bicycle and it was then that he'd learned Riley had been born two days before Judgment Day, and that she'd never been outside in her life. As a late birthday present, he had taken her just outside the bunker where the sun was just setting in the distance. Her look of wonderment had given him a warm feeling in his heart, and his act had only served to deepen her sense of respect and admiration towards him.

"Hey, Riley," he said with a friendly smile. "We've brought you all something." He used his knife to pop the top of one of the cans off and Riley stared at it, brow furrowed.

"What is it?" she questioned.

He held out the can. "Soup," he said. "It's food, real food."

"Food?" she repeated, staring at it curiously. "Is it yours?"

He finally understood that she was still unwilling to take food from his mouth, no matter how hungry she was. "Don't worry," he said. "We brought some for everyone. It should last you all for a good long while."

She finally took the can and began eating, her eyes widening with shock. He realized with a deep sadness that she had probably never tasted real food in her life. Being born two days before Judgment Day, she most likely would have been nursing. And after her parent's deaths, she would have eaten garbage like everyone else.

His heart broke for her. He'd shown her the sun, but she'd never truly seen the world. She'd never been able to go to school, to hang out with friends, not even do simple things like eat a warm meal and take a shower.

And, in all honesty, it was his fault. Because he had failed to stop Judgment Day.

She looked up at him with a smile between mouthfuls of soup. "Thank you, John."

Those simple words of appreciation caused his thoughts to halt abruptly. He suddenly hated the way she was looking at him, with awe, with gratitude, with rapture. Not the kind of rapture that would indicate she had a crush on him or anything like that. She wasn't looking for anything from him, didn't want anything in return.

She simply gazed at him with awe. It was the look a young kid would get upon seeing Mickey Mouse at Disney World for the first time. It was the look one would get after being rescued from some awful fate or even merely an embarrassing situation.

It was a look of love.

It was the look one would give their hero.

And he hated it. He didn't deserve it. None of it. He didn't deserve their loyalty. He didn't deserve their sacrifices, their love. He was a murderer, a liar, a thief, the worst of the worst. Everyone he'd ever known had been killed because of him. Why did he deserve to have these people follow him to their deaths? Again?

His was aware of how fake and plastered on his smile seemed. "Enjoy the soup," he said quickly before rising to his feet and stalking out of the civilian tunnel, ignoring the way the rest of the humans stood respectfully when he walked past, giving him looks of reverence equal to Riley's.

**********

**Depot II**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

He'd had a list at one point. A compiled list of everyone who'd ever died for him. A list that was too long for any one person. Everyone he'd ever loved, everyone he'd ever cared about remotely…they were all dead.

He hadn't been strong enough to save them then. Why would that change now?

"Are you okay?"

He jerked his head up to see Allison standing beside him, her face a mask of worry and sadness. He hadn't even heard her come in.

"I failed them all," he mumbled, his voice barely intelligible. "I failed…everyone. I couldn't save the people I care about most."

She couldn't understand everything, didn't know anything about his role in the deaths of Derek, Riley, Charlie, even Cameron. But that didn't stop her from coming close and putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Do you remember when I talked to you after Martin's death?" she asked softly. "You still haven't let go yet. You need to grieve, John. Suppressing their memories won't help you. It will…just turn you into one of the machines. Feeling, grieving, crying…all these are what separates us from them. Crying makes you human."

_Cameron had cried_, he thought irrelevantly. That was something no machine had ever done before. So what did that make her?

"You have to accept their deaths," Allison continued. "You have to let go. You have to understand that it wasn't your fault."

"But it _was,_" he insisted.

"I'm sure they wouldn't think of it that way."

She was right, of course. Their last thoughts hadn't been about John failing them. In fact, it was probably just the opposite. Charlie's last thought would have been_ Please John, go! I'll hold them off. They won't get to you if I have anything to say about it. _Derek's last thought would probably have been _I'm glad it got me and not John. I hope he and Sarah make it out. _Martin's final words were _I can't outrun this blast…but saving those lives will make my death worth it. _

John felt the sobs start slowly as the memories began overwhelming him. Allison had been right. He'd never truly grieved. He'd kept it all buried deep inside himself, as a reminder not to fail them, as a reminder that he had already failed so many times. But the walls he'd built up around those emotions couldn't stay up forever. Eventually they would crumble.

He was suddenly in Allison's arms, crying uncontrollably, and she was merely holding him, stroking his hair, just like she'd done the first time he'd met her. And he didn't even care who saw, didn't care if it made him seem weak or unfit as a leader. Because he needed to let them go, he needed to know his life mattered, that all these people had died _for _him, not because of him. They'd died not only because they believed in who he would become but because they'd loved him for who he was at the time.

And John Connor cried. He cried for everyone. For Charlie, for Riley, for Derek. For Sarah, Ellison, and Savannah all stuck with his task of stopping the unstoppable; for Sarah's untimely death at the hands of leukemia. He cried for Martin Bedell, who had sacrificed his life for John and thirty nine other soldiers.

He cried for Kyle, knowing that he would have to send his father into the jaws of death in order to save his mother and ensure his own birth. He cried for Allison, knowing deep down that sooner or later she would die because of him just like everyone else.

But most of all, John Connor cried for Cameron. For the chip of her memories which he now possessed, simply waiting for the body to return. Waiting for Cameron to return. And he cried because it was his fault she had sacrificed her chip in the first place, his fault she was sitting motionless, dead in the chair when he'd entered the basement. His fault. Because she'd felt the need to protect him even at the end, even after his decision to retrieve his mother had nearly cost her everything, had damaged her almost beyond repair. All because she had agreed to break his mother out, despite Sarah Connor's request, all to prove to him that she truly did love him.

And somehow…that made the pain in his heart all the worse.

But the only way to fix this, the only way to fix everything, to make their lives – their sacrifices – meaningful was to defeat Skynet once and for all.

John stood up quickly, his eyes dry, his face hard with determination. Now was the time to rise, to be strong. He would do it for them, for everyone who had died so he could live.

He looked over at Allison. "Round up the troops."

**********

**Depot II**

**Meeting Room**

The meeting room was full of soldiers armed and ready for battle. A few were from Goldfish Bunker who had come back with John after his supply run to help out with the main campaign. John recognized Dietze, the soldier who had originally been leery of John being the leader of the Resistance.

Once Derek, Kyle, and Allison re-entered the room, John got right to the point of his meeting.

"We're going to take Serrano Point," he announced.

The room was dead silent for a moment and several of the soldiers exchanged worried glances. Kyle cleared his throat hesitantly.

"Connor, that's one of Skynet's major hold points," he explained.

John nodded calmly. "I know. We capture that, we just might win this war. If we launch our attack now, maybe we can catch them off guard."

Derek made a disgusted face. "You can't surprise the machines, John. They're gonna see this coming."

"No," John replied as a wry smile slowly spread across his face. "They're not gonna see this coming. This time we have the advantage and we have the element of surprise. First of all, we're all united. Skynet's forces are split, just like the Resistance was in the beginning. I've received intelligence that a large Skynet force is working on some other new base. This new project has cut into the resources and security Skynet is using at Serrano. Now, Skynet Central is still an issue, but Skynet's forces are also further divided due to the fact that a large group is massing far outside LA, preparing to enter combat with some of our allies."

Lieutenant Dietze held up a hand, shaking his head. "Wait a minute, Connor," he said. "We have allies somewhere out there? Are they part of the Resistance?"

"No, not technically," John replied evenly.

Dietze frowned. "But it is some kind of Resistance force?"

_More like a rebellion, _John thought before replying, "Yes."

Dietze still seemed skeptical and suspicious. "And these people are fighting for us?"

"These…friends," he ad-libbed, not really able to call them people, "…are fighting to stop Skynet, just as we are."

"Then why aren't they in the Resistance? There's something you're not telling us, Connor," Dietze protested, his voice rising a bit in volume, seeming on edge. "Who are these mysterious allies and why haven't we heard about them?"

John hesitated, contemplating telling the soldier the truth. But no, it wasn't the time for that. The resistance at this point would never understand why some machines were on their side. He hadn't even begun the reprogramming process yet, and he knew that was bound to cause some controversy in itself. No, Weaver was right. There was a time for everything.

But now was not the time for this.

"I can't tell you," John replied, trying not to make his voice sound too apologetic. He didn't need to explain himself to Dietze or anyone else. They needed to be able to follow his orders. "Not yet. Trust me, but this has to remain a secret for now."

Dietze's nostrils flared angrily and his teeth clenched. "A _secret_?" he spat. His eyes shifted over to Allison who, as usual, was standing dutifully right at John's side. "You…" Dietze began, addressing her now. "You know about this? This secret force? Did he tell you? His precious little second in command?"

Allison didn't flinch at Dietze's accusing words. She did glance at John for a split second before answering honestly. "Yes. I know."

Dietze laughed humorlessly, shaking his head adamantly as he glared at John. "No, you're gonna tell us what's going on, Connor. First of all, you're just a seventeen year old kid giving us orders…"

"He's nineteen now," Allison retorted, jumping in to John's defense. "But he's more mature now than you've ever been in your life."

Dietze took a threatening step towards her and Allison herself made a move to fight, but Derek stepped between them, his face red with anger as he shoved Dietze back.

"Knock it off!" he shouted. "Dietze, you're out of line!"

Dietze scowled, but didn't attempt to fight with Derek. "Wouldn't be the first time."

Kyle had kept his calm cool throughout the event, though John could tell his father was rattled by the fact that Dietze would have engaged in a fist fight with Allison. "Connor has a reason for his secrets," he explained evenly.

John felt that he had to give everyone some assurance. "I promise you, you will find out eventually. But today, this issue is irrelevant. Today, we fight. For once, we have the advantage over Skynet, the element of surprise. We have new weapons and we are finally on even ground with the machines. With our new plasma rifles, it's the same for them now as it is for us: one shot to the head, they don't get up. That makes us even. Now, they're still stronger, more accurate. But we're faster, and we have more numbers than they think. They won't be expecting us to hit as hard as we will. We're going all out."

Derek's head snapped around in confusion, eyes widening. "All out? Connor, if we lose…"

"That's not gonna happen," John said firmly. "This is the time. This is our future, our fate."

"The fate that we make," Allison added softly.

***********

**December 8, 2026**

**Avila Beach, California**

**Serrano Point Power Plant**

John readied his rifle as he and the rest of the soldiers in his squad approached their cover position. He'd never been to Serrano Point before, but by his understanding, Cameron, Derek, and his mother had saved the plant at one point. And based on what his mother's letter had said, Danny and Ellison, operating with Weaver's Zeira Corp, had restarted the power plant, installing extra features and special computer technology in a hidden lower level that John could use in the future.

He took a deep breath and looked over at Allison. "Be careful," he warned.

She smiled unworriedly. "I always am."

"You got shot last time," he reminded her.

"That was different," Allison said with a quick wave of her hand.

"I'm serious," he insisted. "No more jumping in front of bullets, okay? Promise me."

Allison's look was grave, confident, and compassionate all at the same time. "I can't make that promise, John. You should know that by now."

He narrowed his eyebrows. She'd nearly died once trying to save his life, he wouldn't let that happen again. "I won't let you die for me."

"There's really nothing you can do to stop me," she replied, shouldering her rifle.

John sighed and pursed his lips. The last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt, but her devotion towards him was certainly appreciated, much as he didn't deserve it.

"Alright," he ordered in a hushed tone, even though they were still far enough away that the machines would not pick up on their audio levels. "Let's move out!"

Derek's voice squawked on the walky talky unit. "Connor? Kyle and I will take the 132nd around for a sideways attack."

"Good," John replied.

His plan had called for a full-out assault on the plant's machine inhabitants. Hundreds of soldiers from many different bunkers were all in the area with their brand new plasma weapons, reading for ground assault while several more waited further back, preparing to come in blazing with their vehicles, mostly trucks with missile launchers and machine guns on the back.

Skynet wouldn't be expecting this.

John's team was going to be one of the groups that would ultimately fight their way inside Serrano Point and clear out the facility while the rest of the Resistance took care of the machines that would be coming outside to launch their own attack against the humans.

Derek's voice came from the radio again, "Connor! We've got company! The machines are coming."

John quickly set his radio to transmit to all the communications devices in the area. "Alright, this is it! Let's go kill some metal!"

All around him, the Resistance advanced and the sky was lit up with the blue and purple blasts of the plasma rifles shooting out their deadly blasts. Terminators were dropping everywhere, unable to hold up against the direct head shots.

John was moving quickly through the chaos, blasting the heads of the T-800s that came out of Serrano to meet the Resistance head on. He was running on adrenaline, but the adrenaline alone was not the cause of his deadly accuracy and skill. He dove out from behind his cover, sliding towards the next, blasting two endos on the way as their own return fire sailed harmlessly past him.

When he crouched at the new hold spot where Jason Reynolds had taken position, he turned to see his former classmate's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Where'd you learn to shoot like that, Connor?"

"My mother," John began, hesitating slightly before softly adding under his breath, "…and my best friend."

_John sighed, brushing his long bangs out of his eyes and refusing to take the rifle Cameron was offering him._

_"Cameron, I don't need more training," he insisted. "My mom has been teaching me for pretty much my entire life. I've had a gun in my hands since I was born practically."_

_"Sarah Connor is an effective teacher," Cameron agreed. "But there are things even she is not prepared for. There are things she has not seen."_

_"And you have?"_

_Cameron nodded slowly. "Yes. I have."_

_John finally sighed heavily, taking the gun from her hands and loading it. "So what do you got for me?"_

_"First of all," she began. "You have to understand how we fight, how we move. If you are out in the open, we will kill you instantly. You must use cover."_

_John rolled his eyes. He'd been learning that since the beginning. "I know that…"_

_Cameron stepped a few paces away, turning around to face him. "Take your shot."_

_"What?" John hesitated, brow furrowed in confusion. Did she actually think he was going to use her for target practice? "I'm not going to shoot you, Cameron!"_

_"I will not be harmed," she stated evenly. "Shoot."_

_He lowered the gun, shaking his head adamantly. "No. Get something else. Apples or pop cans or something."_

_"An apple is not a moving target."_

_John gritted his teeth. "So get a different moving target." Machine or not, there was no way he was going to start shooting bullets at her, even if they wouldn't really be piercing flesh._

_Cameron paused for a beat, processing his request. "I will go find Derek."_

_"Whoa whoa whoa!" John exclaimed, holding up his hands in protest. "Wait! No!" There was definitely no way he would use Derek for target practice either._

_But Cameron merely smiled at him. "I fooled you again."_

_In the end, they had strung up a dummy to a clothesline and Cameron pulled it across the line, effectively creating the illusion of a moving target. On the call, John fired, hitting the dummy directly where its head would be._

_He looked to Cameron for approval, but wasn't really surprised to see her face stoic as usual. "You are accurate," she stated. "And maybe you could have killed a T-600. But any newer model would have had their shot off before you incapacitated them. You would be dead."_

_"Oh," John mumbled. "Great."_

_"You need to move as you are firing. You are accurate, but now you need to be accurate with a moving target as a moving target."_

_John shook his head, trying to process her last confusing statement. "This is crazy."_

_"This is training," Cameron corrected evenly._

_He wasn't exactly sure what came over him, wasn't exactly sure why he did it, but he found himself gripping the gun clumsily, the barrel aiming more towards the abdomen of the dummy than the head._

_Cameron's face didn't display any confusion or curiosity. She simply walked over to him and grabbed his hand, causing him to suck in his breath at the contact. She purposefully repositioned the barrel and the sightline for a straight shot to the head._

_"You should know this by now," she commented._

_John allowed himself a small smile, suddenly thankful that his mother and Derek were out. "Yeah, but sometimes it's nice to have help," he replied. Cameron removed her hand from his and simply stared at him, head tilted slightly to one side. He bit his lip, lowering the gun and looking up at her with a tortured expression. "Tell me something. Do you…do you feel pain? When you get shot?"_

_"I have pain sensors, yes," she explained. "I feel the sensation but I can suppress it."_

_"So…" John calculated. "Every time you take a bullet that comes flying at me, it hurts you."_

_"Physically, yes," she agreed. "Not emotionally. I am happy."_

_"Happy?" he repeated, somewhat stunned and appalled. Could Terminators be suicidal?_

_"Yes," Cameron agreed. "I am happy that I can protect you from those bullets. I am happy that I can save your life." Her eyes seemed to appear softer as she spoke the words, even her tone was more tender than usual. John swallowed the painful lump in his throat. _It hurts her_, he repeated to himself._ It hurts her to take bullets for me but she's happy that it's her and not me_. Self-sacrifice._

_Love._

_Cameron picked up his gun from the ground and held it out to him once more. "Now. You must continue practicing." John gripped the weapon tightly, deciding right then and there to focus more than ever before. Because the more accurate he was, the less return fire would come his way…and the less Cameron would hurt when she intercepted those bullets for him. He raised the weapon once more. _

"JOHN!" Cameron's frantic voice suddenly shouted.

John whipped his head around, coming out of the flashback to see a blue streak of light heading right toward him. His flinching backwards step barely saved his life, though the Terminator's laser blast still grazed his arm and left a nasty burn. John hissed in pain.

"John!" Allison cried for the second time, her voice tinged with panic and worry.

"I'm okay," he assured her. "It's just a burn."

_Just a burn…_

John shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut as if by closing them he could

stop the memories from surfacing. _Stop thinking about her right now! You need to focus!_

*********

**Inside Serrano Point**

John burst through the bottom level, blasting another T-888 in the head. "Clear!" he heard Kyle yell as he and Derek's force met up with John at the heart of the facility.

"I think we got them all," Derek said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Where's this secret entrance thing your mother told you about?"

John checked the map again. "Right here," he stated. "But we have to blow a hole in the floor. She couldn't leave any kind of real entrance otherwise the machines would have found it."

Derek gestured to one of his soldiers who brought forward a small package of C4 that Derek placed on the floor. "Stand back," he warned, waiting until everyone had backed up a safe distance before pushing the trigger.

The explosion wasn't very big, but the cement floor gave off a lot of smoky dust and John coughed, finding his eyes watering. He took a step forward and peered into the hole, his eyes lighting up as he did.

"This is it!" he breathed. Inside, he could that there was a room down there, a hidden level that his mother had built for his use, something she'd managed to hide from the machines all this time.

"Hold on, John," Derek warned. "You better let it air out a bit first. Wouldn't want you to get poisoned to death."

After the air had cleared, John was the first to drop down into the hole, looking around in wonder to see that there were dozens of computers and equipment, a complex laboratory, food and supply storage, spare parts for cars and motorcycles…and everything he needed to begin the reprogramming process.

"Wow…" Allison breathed. "John…your mom rocks…"

"Tell me about it," he replied, equally stunned. He approached a desk where a small tape recorder and a stack of tapes sat along with a piece of notebook paper. John picked it up, hoping it would be from his mother.

Instead, he saw that it was written by Ellison.

_John,_

_I'm sorry that you have to hear this from me. But she asked me to make sure I wrote you this letter…just to let you know what happened. _

_Sarah Connor died today. _

_She told me to tell you that none of this, none of the future you are probably seeing right now as you read this is your fault. There was nothing you or she could do to stop it, but only you can end it. She believed in you, John. She believed you were the only one who could stop Skynet, but she also said you need to believe in yourself too. _

_You can probably guess what her last words were. "No fate but what we make." _

_She has left you these tapes, everything she had recorded since she started the fight. It's everything she knows and she hopes it will help you become a better leader. _

_This facility is equipped with lots of computer technology so you can do your thing to the Terminator chips, so you can win the war. This was her last wish, that her ashes be buried here at our camp in Serrano. She said she didn't want Skynet to use her body to create a Terminator to get to you. That woman loved you more than anything, John. I truly hope you can become who she claimed you would. Danny, Savannah, and I set up a memorial here inside this secret level. I figured you would want to see it._

_Good Luck, John._

_James Ellison_

John blinked back the tears as he slid one of the tapes into the cassette player, nearly crying when Sarah Connor's voice began speaking from it, young and strong.

"Tape 7. November 10. Where was I? What's most difficult for me is trying to decide what to tell you and what not to. But I guess I have a while yet before you're even old enough to understand these tapes. They're more for me at this point, just so I can get it straight. Should I tell you about your father? Boy that's a tough---."

John hastily clicked it off, casting a sideways glance at Kyle Reese. He wasn't sure if his mother would actually mention his father by name in her recording, but he wasn't going to take that chance with Kyle in the room.

He moved away from the table towards the back corner where he finally saw the memorial Ellison had spoken of. It was a wooden container, with a plaque that either Danny or Ellison had carved out.

SARAH CONNOR. "NO FATE BUT WHAT WE MAKE"

Seeing those words, her name… the fact finally hit home that she was really, truly gone forever. John Connor completely crumbled, tears streaming down his face, no longer caring what anyone else thought about him.

And not one of his soldiers made fun, no one made faces or acted like he was being childish or weak. Instead, they all stood silently and reverently, solemnly allowing John to have his moment to grieve.

Kyle stepped up quietly behind him, staring at Sarah's grave with a look of pain and sorrow and John could see that Kyle was fighting for control of his own emotions too, moisture growing in his eyes. And without thinking, John was suddenly in his father's arms for the first time ever, sobbing into Kyle Reese's strong shoulders, his body racked with sobs.

He'd lost his mother and gained his father.

But much as he loved Kyle, his father could never replace the influence and love his mother had placed in his life. She'd devoted her entire life to protecting him, to training him, to preparing him for the grim future. She'd taken bullets, faced Terminators, cops, and even death itself all in the name of saving the world, saving the future. She was the strongest person he knew and it didn't seem right that something that seemed as small as cancer would be the thing to finally take her down. He would have expected, and she would have wanted, an entire squad of Terminators gunning for her, and her sacrifice meaning the lives of dozens of others. She would have wanted to die a hero.

But, in all reality, she did.

And in her death, she became a legend.

************

**Outside Serrano Point**

"You can't stay here yet, Connor," Derek said, his voice still grim from the aftermath of the battle. "The machines may try to retake it and we can't risk you being here when it happens."

"So I'll return to Depot II," John replied numbly. Depot II was more like a home to him anyhow. It had Kyle, Allison, and Max. He could be content there for a little while longer.

"You can't stay at Depot II anymore, either," Derek said, shaking his head. "The machines know who you are. And if they decide to send an assassin, Depot II won't be able to hold them off. It's not secure enough. You're not safe there."

"No one is ever safe," John replied stonily, his mother's words only causing a fresh wave of grief and loss.

"Maybe so," Derek agreed. "But some places are safer than others. Like Camp Toto."

"Toto?"

"It's perfect," Derek explained. "You can take an elite group and give only them access. No one else will know about it. It's hidden, it's well protected. Those blast doors are impenetrable. You could even make some kind of pass that will let you know if a Terminator tries to enter."

"The Connor camp," John said, finally realizing what he had to do. "I take it you and Kyle will stay to run Depot II."

"I think we're moving on from Depot II," Derek replied. "Skynet aerostats could have tagged us when we began our march from there to Serrano. I think we should abandon it for at least a little while. Might throw the machines off our backs. I'm going to Firebase for now, and Kyle is staying here at to make sure we can keep hold of Serrano and eventually we'll move the command base here."

John nodded mutely.

This was how it had to be. The war was starting once more, a new phase. The Resistance had unleashed new weapons, so Skynet would follow suit. Maybe now they would send out the T-1000 or the TX. Maybe now they would send out Cameron.

He would be strong. For Allison, for his mother, for Cameron. He would create his Connor camp, he would utilize Serrano Point. And he would fight. And eventually Skynet would go down.

John Connor would conquer.

* * *

**Next Chapter: **_JOHN: [clicks off a tape recorder] You're right, mom. There's a storm coming. WEAVER: You are the one who will save mankind. Beware of false prophets. [Military soldiers enter Serrano Point, aiming weapons at John's force] KYLE: You point a gun at someone, you better be prepared to pull the trigger. JOHN: Who are you? ASHDOWN: General Ashdown. Leader of the Resistance._


	12. Born to Break

_Author's note: To quote everyone's favorite T-850: I'm back! With Episode 12 of Born to Fight. Starting with this chapter and for the next few chapters, I'm incorporating some elements from T4, so there could be minor spoilers for the movie if you haven't already seen it. _

_Yuki K - I'm not sure if I'll be bringing Savannah and Ellison back into the story or not. Maybe they'll meet John sometime in the future, but I haven't written anything about that yet._

_

* * *

__Previously on Born to Fight: __[John opens Wizard of Oz book and letter from Sarah falls out] KYLE: (enters Sarah's safehouse) Welcome to Camp Toto. [Weaver enters John's room] WEAVER: It's time. CAMERON: John, I'm sorry. I had to do this. You must continue to lead them. You'll find me soon. JOHN: And what happens when you show up? CAMERON: We'll fight together. [John transfers her memories to a Terminator chip] JOHN: It's done. JOHN: (stands before his troops) We're going to take Serrano Point. SARAH: (in letter) Danny has made Serrano into a base. There is a secret area below the main facility. [John's squad enters the secret room. John sees a letter and his mother's tapes on a table.] ELLISON: (in letter) Sarah Connor died today. [John cries in front of Sarah's memorial.] DEREK: (to John) You can't stay here. You need to form your Connor Camp._

**Chapter Twelve:**

**Born to Break**

**Depot II**

**Civilian Quarters**

"We've heard all these before," one small child spoke up, causing Kyle Reese to look up from the pages of the book. He cocked his head and grinned.

"Have you?"

The children of the civilian tunnel, who were all sitting in a large circle at his feet, nodded and Kyle set the torn up _Robin Hood_ book down at his side. He enjoyed spending time with the kids, but he definitely agreed with them that reading the same three books was getting old. It reminded him of when he'd been on John's Connor Campaign where he and Derek had been forced to make the same "No Fate" speech over and over again from bunker to bunker.

After a while, he'd just wanted something new.

"Well," Kyle said with a playful smile. John and Allison were currently at Camp Toto starting the new Connor Camp, but John's belongings were still in his Depot II room. Kyle didn't think John would mind him looking around to see if he had anything that would entertain the kids. "How about I go see if the General has anything new?"

Several of the young tunnel-rats cheered. "Yay! Please do, Kyle!"

Kyle smiled and climbed the ladder back up to the main level, wandering down towards John's room, passing Derek along the way.

"Hey," he said with a smile. "You wouldn't happen to know if John has any books in his room, would you?"

Derek cocked an eyebrow. "Books?"

"Yeah, to read to the kids," Kyle explained.

Derek started to shake his head no, then paused with a frown. "Actually, yeah. I think he has the _Wizard of Oz_. He mentioned something about it to Allison when we first found Camp Toto. Said he'd let her read it sometime."

"Thanks," Kyle said before entering John's room. The young General, of course, wasn't around, but it didn't take Kyle long to find the box that the book was in. It was definitely many years old, with the binding faded and yellowed. But at least the _Wizard of Oz_ was something new for the kids to hear.

As he pulled it out, a folded up piece of paper slipped out of the pages and floated to the floor. Kyle reached over and picked it up with a frown, wondering if maybe John's book was falling apart. But it didn't look like a page of the book. Instead, it appeared to be a letter of some kind.

_Probably private_, Kyle guessed. He started to fold it up again when he caught sight of the name KYLE written on the pages. Curious now, he straightened the paper out to read. His eyes widened as he realized it was written by John's tough-as-nails mother, Sarah Connor, on Judgment Day.

_I couldn't bear to watch, _she had written. _It was much worse than what Kyle told me, much worse knowing it was coming, and not being able to stop it._

Kyle frowned. This couldn't be _him _Kyle could it? _No, _he told himself with a chuckle. He'd never met Sarah Connor. He'd only heard about her through John and the other soldiers. Skimming down, he found an entire paragraph completely written to this "Kyle."

_Oh, Kyle…I know you'll never be able to read this. I know John can't tell you about us, that he'll send you back in time. But I'm eternally grateful that you were there to save me that fateful day. You were there for me when I needed you the most. Our time together was too short, but I love you more than life itself. Even after you were gone, I held you in my heart, your memory guided me through the dark times. I'll always love you._

For a moment Kyle was stunned. Sent back in time? John had to send someone back in time to save his mother? A strange longing stirred in his heart, and suddenly Kyle Reese wanted to be the one John Connor picked, the one who received the chance to meet the legend. _I'll always love you. _And as strange as it was, he felt a bizarre connection to Sarah Connor, a connection that had occurred even across time. The same connection he'd felt when John had given him the picture of a young Sarah Connor, the one that had captivated him from the moment he laid eyes on it. And suddenly, with the possibility of meeting her someday, it didn't seem so hard to admit that he was falling for Sarah.

It _had_ to be him she was talking it, _had _to be! What other Kyle did John Connor know? What other Kyle would John Connor trust to go back in time to save the mother of the future? His eyes trailed down the rest of the page, where Sarah was addressing John again.

_I'm sorry I cannot be with you any longer, so I'll leave you with the words Kyle Reese spoke to me, the words you spoke to me._

His heart leaped into his throat. _It is me! _He realized. Sarah Connor was talking about him. Sarah Connor loved _him_. He would be the one who would go back to save Sarah Connor from the Terminator. Her next words were quoting something he said to her, something he would eventually say to her, in the future. Well, in the past, actually.

He leaned his head back, chuckling softly and running a hand through his hair. _A person could go crazy thinking about this._

Kyle stared at the page for a long while, memorizing them, memorizing Sarah's message to him, the message he was never supposed to see, the message she never expected him to read. He wanted to remember it forever. With a strange feeling of ecstasy, he slid the letter back into the _Wizard of Oz_ and closed the book, hurrying back down the hall towards the civilian tunnel.

***********

**Camp Toto**

John Connor had not quite officially moved into his new so-called Connor Camp, which was also known as Camp Toto. He and Allison had just arrived, along with Jason Reynolds and a few other trustworthy soldiers from Jason's squadron.

He'd come straight from Serrano Point, bringing only his rifle and the bag containing his mother's tapes. He and Allison were planning on making a run back to Depot II to gather up the rest of their belongings and bring Max back to their new home.

So far things had gone extremely well. Like Derek had suggested, he'd decided to use a pass for the Connor camp, just to be on the safe side. Everyone inside was given a silver bracelet. Nothing special, just a simple band. It wouldn't seem like anything more than a piece of jewelry to the machines when it fact it was the only thing that would grant the soldiers access to the Connor Camp. He'd already warned them that anyone who showed up without a pass would be terminated on sight.

Derek and Kyle would receive one as well, since both of them knew where the Connor Camp was located and were welcome to come at anytime even though they'd both decided that they would be moving to Firebase after they'd cleared out Depot II and set up Serrano Point.

In the safety of his private quarters, John pulled out his tape recorder and rewound his mother's tape, the one he'd started listening to in Serrano Point.

"Should I tell you about your father?" Sarah's recorded voice asked. "Boy, that's a tough one. Will it affect your decision to send him here knowing that he is your father? If you don't send Kyle, you can never be. A person could go crazy thinking about this."

John smiled sadly, agreeing with her whole-heartedly. There was a pause in the tape before Sarah started speaking again. "I suppose I will tell you. I owe him that." Her tone softened and he could hear the love in her voice. "Maybe it will help if you know that in the few…hours we had together, we loved a lifetime's worth."

He heard a faint click from the tape and a child's distant voice speaking rapidly in Spanish.

"What did he just say?" Sarah asked, not speaking into the tape, but to someone else. John decided that she probably didn't realize she'd left the tape recorder running, having been startled out of her memory of Kyle.

"He says you are a very beautiful Senora," another voice stated, in English but with a heavy Spanish accent. "And he is ashamed to ask you for five American dollars for his picture but if he doesn't his father will beat him."

The picture, John realized. This must be the picture that she had given him, the one he had given Kyle. It was ironic really…he mused. She'd been thinking about his father when the picture was taken.

"Pretty good hustle, kid," Sarah said, a smile in her voice. "Quatro?"

"Si si!" the child's voice shouted. "Gracias!" John heard the retreating footsteps, then the kid's voice speaking again from a distance.

"What did he just say?" Sarah questioned.

"He said there's a storm coming," the Spanish voice replied.

There was a pause in the tape before Sarah agreed, "I know."

The tape recorder clicked off and John sat in silence for a moment. _There's a storm coming. _For some reason, he was getting the exact same feeling. They had just secured Serrano Point and he had set up his secret Connor camp, but he knew deep down that something was going to happen soon. Was Skynet planning something big to retaliate with? Were they creating something new, something worse?

"You're right, mom," he whispered. "There's a storm coming."

And he needed to be prepared for it.

***********

"I'm going to go to Serrano Point," John announced. "I need to give Derek and Kyle their bracelet passes and a radio unit, but I'd also like to hear their suggestions on what to do next."

"What to do next?" Jason Reynolds laughed good-naturedly. "We blow up more metal, that's what's next!"

Several of his friends chuckled and slapped him on the back. John turned around toward Allison who slung her backpack over her shoulder.

"When are we leaving?" she questioned.

"_We're _not," he said quickly.

Her eyes grew wide, then narrowed. "What? Why not?"

"Because I need you to stay here and run the Connor Camp," John explained. "Keep these boys in line. You're my second in command and someone's needed here in case there's an emergency."

"But I'm not a Connor," Allison pointed out.

John rolled his eyes. "Fine, call it the Young Camp for now, I don't care." She still seemed despondent and he gave her a small, comforting smile. "Don't worry. I won't be long. It's just a quick trip to deliver the bracelets and discuss some strategy."

She nodded slowly before giving him a tight hug. "Don't stay away too long," she warned, pulling back with a grin. "I may end up taking over your new headquarters."

He smiled. "Maybe that wouldn't be so bad." He turned to face Jason and the rest of the Connor Camp soldiers.

"Alright, now, Allison Young is in charge while I'm gone, understand? She's my second in command and you'll treat her as such. Obey her like you would me."

Allison rubbed her hands together playfully. "Oh, good. Alright, Brady, you're on cooking duty; Reynolds, you get to do laundry…"

Jason's face scrunched up and he looked at John helplessly. "She's making us do _chores?"_

John simply shrugged, grinning as he walked out. "Have fun."

***********

**Serrano Point**

"How are things at Camp Toto, Connor?" Derek asked.

"Good, though, it's the Connor Camp now. Or the Young Camp right now, I suppose." John held out the two bracelets for Derek and Kyle. "These will give you access. Just be sure not to show up at the doors without one of these. My soldiers have orders to shoot on sight."

"Harsh," Derek murmured.

"Hey, with Skynet you can never be too careful," John said with a shrug.

Derek and Kyle both clipped the bracelets on their wrists and pulled their sleeves back down.

"Well," Kyle started, gesturing around Serrano Point. "What do you think?"

John looked around the base. Kyle and Derek's men had cleaned it up real nice, removing all traces of the machines, repairing some of the damage and booting up all the computer systems. It was all ready to be used as a major base.

"Looking good," John agreed. "You guys have been hard at work."

"We try," Kyle admitted with a modest shrug. He hesitated. "We've left your secret room alone, John. With your mother's…memorial being in there, we figured you'd want it to be left the way it is. None of us has been down there yet."

John swallowed hard. "Thanks…I appreciate it. But I give you permission to go down there, Kyle."

"Me?" Kyle asked. His tone was puzzled, but John also sensed a bit of excitement or reverence. Maybe it was just the fact that Kyle wanted to be able to be near Sarah's memorial again.

"Yeah," John repeated. "You can go in and…fix up the computers or whatever."

Derek looked back and forth from John to Kyle suspiciously but he made no comment. John was sure Kyle had gotten the hint that he was allowed to see the memorial, not just go down for cleaning purposes. Something had clicked in Kyle's mind, something that had made him even more devoted to Sarah Connor. John didn't know what it was, but there was a different way Kyle walked, the way he kept reaching inside his pocket to feel the picture John had given him.

"Let's check out the outer defenses," Derek spoke up, obviously uncomfortable with the silence.

John nodded quickly and they walked back towards the entrance of Serrano Point, where a scouting group was getting ready to leave.

"Looking good, boys," Derek announced. As he walked past Dietze, he pulled down the soldier's bandana with a smirk. "Got something on your face there, buddy."

"Alright," Kyle spoke up, the mature voice of reason. "Just do your normal patrol, make sure there's no Skynet in this area."

The door to Serrano Point swung open, and a voice came through the entrance, "Nice setup you have here."

A dozen of John's resistance fighters turned toward the unfamiliar voice, guns raised. John watched with horror as the squad of intruders reacted in a same way, drawing their own weapons. They weren't dressed like Resistance fighters. They were in military uniform, army camouflage gear. The man standing in front was the one who had spoken first. He appeared to be the leader.

John instantly realized that this unfamiliar soldier had more men than John did. His mind was racing. Who were they? Were they Grays? The big man who had spoken seemed to be a seasoned soldier, in his sixties most likely, with a battle-scarred face and a hardened resolve.

Despite being outnumbered, John's own forces were unafraid and they didn't lower their weapons.

The leader's weapon was pointed at Kyle, who didn't show any kind of fear, keeping his eyes and voice steady. "You point a gun at someone you better be prepared to pull the trigger."

The soldier chuckled. "Oh, I'm prepared." He glanced from Kyle to Derek to John, then lowered his rifle. "But we're all on the same side here." John's men quickly looked to him before following suit, placing their weapons down.

"Who are you?" John questioned.

The man raised an eyebrow and studied John as if wondering why this young man was talking to him. "General Ashdown," he announced. "Leader of the Resistance."

John's mouth dropped open, and several of his soldiers started protesting the intruder's statement, but John held up a hand to silence them, narrowing his eyes at Ashdown. "What are you talking about?"

"I've been uniting the humans all around the world," Ashdown explained. "We're preparing to launch a coordinated, simultaneous attack on Skynet. Worldwide. We maintain contact with all of our forces by radio. We picked up on some Skynet chatter about your little stunt here at Serrano and figured you should be included in the Resistance."

Included _in_ the Resistance_?_ "We _are_ the Resistance," John shot back.

Ashdown sighed heavily. "Okay, kid, thanks," he said, his tone condescending and dismissive. "Can I talk to whoever is in charge?"

Derek was demonstrating his death stare again. "John Connor is in charge," he said, voice never wavering, eyes never blinking.

"Well, where is this John Connor?" Ashdown asked, looking more than a little irritated.

"Speaking," John replied, crossing his arms and standing up taller.

"You?" Ashdown looked at John with disbelief, letting out a barking laugh before glancing at Derek, as if thinking this was a joke. Derek's unfaltering gaze finally got to Ashdown and the general's smile faded. "Are you kidding me? He's barely old enough to shave!"

"I'm twenty," John protested indignantly.

Ashdown completely ignored him, speaking directly to Kyle and Derek instead. "You're taking orders from a kid."

"I'm John Connor. My mother was Sarah Connor."

Ashdown shrugged, finally looking back at John. "So what?"

Billy Wisher took a step forward, spitting out, "Sarah Connor was a hero! She warned everyone about the machine attacks!"

Ashdown merely raised an eyebrow at Wisher's adamant defense of John's mother. "You're following a twenty year old inexperienced kid because his mother happened to predict what would happen? I've heard the story. Sarah Connor's son prophesied to become the leader of mankind. Let's get something straight. I've been a soldier for a very long time and soldiers don't put much weight in prophecy. That's a load of crap."

Derek took a threatening step forward and the soldier beside Ashdown reached for his gun again, causing Derek to halt, but remain just as angry and determined. "I'd watch yourself," he snarled. "Or you'll get a dozen plasma bolts in your body and I'll bury you in the backyard."

"Plasma?" Ashdown repeated, not at all unnerved by Derek's blatant threat. "That's a valuable asset."

Derek's lip curled and he appeared like he was about to strike, but Kyle called out, "Derek, this isn't the way to fix this."

"Look at you all!" Ashdown cried, addressing the entire crowd of Serrano Point soldiers. "Look at your great esteemed leader! A twenty year old kid whose mother happened to be Sarah Connor. You're right, someone does need to lead the Resistance, but I'm sure not going to be taking orders from some inexperienced kid. I've been in the military for longer than he's been alive! I'm a four star General, and I've earned that position." He laughed at the absurdity of it all. "Look at your force. Look at your pitiful chain of command!"

Derek's eyes flashed dangerously. "You wanna know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat you with until you understand who's in command here."

Ashdown chuckled, which only seemed to enrage Derek even more. Finally the self-proclaimed leader of the resistance shook his head, raising his hands in surrender. "You know what? I'm not going to argue with you. We've come here to offer you a place in the Resistance. Any of you are welcome to come back with us to our base."

"And where is that?" Kyle demanded.

"We have a naval sub from before Judgment Day…" Ashdown began.

"Big whoop," Jason spoke up, snorting with disgust. "So do we."

"Shut up, Jason," John ordered off-handedly.

"We are in constant motion," Ashdown explained. "We use it as our base so the machines can't track us. It'll be safer…and it's run by full military. Together we can beat Skynet."

Kyle crossed his arms, raising one eyebrow. "How do you propose we do that?"

"Skynet is a machine, and like all machines it has an 'off' switch."

"This is bigger than you can even imag--," John began.

"We have a signal device," Ashdown interrupted.

John's brow furrowed. "What?"

"A code that disrupts and disables the machines. It's not permanent. The signal has to be continuous in order to sustain the effect, but if we get this right, the war is over. We've already tested it on some hydrobots and it works," Ashdown continued.

John held up a hand. "Wait, hydrobots?"

"Eel-like machines that patrol the waters," Jason explained hastily. "I saw a ton of them when I was stationed at Goldfish Bunker."

"We'll be field testing it soon," Ashdown finished. "But if that works, this could be our biggest asset against Skynet. We'll be mounting the global effort soon. It will end this war."

"I'm in," Dietze said with a shrug.

John's shoulders sagged. "Dietze?"

Dietze simply shrugged again. "Sorry, Connor," he said, not looking the least bit apologetic. "But I'd prefer a little more experienced leadership. This guy has valuable assets and I think he can actually lead us to victory."

Ashdown smiled slightly and glanced around at the rest of the crowd. "Anyone else?"

John wasn't sure how many of his soldiers he expected to step forward, but no one else in the room moved a muscle. He was surprised at the united show of loyalty.

Ashdown seemed to respect their decision, nodding. "Alright. I will be journeying to the other bunkers in the area offering them the same deal." He glanced over at one of his companions. "General Olsen?"

The other general pulled a small radio out of his bag and set it down on the table. Ashdown nodded professionally to Derek and Kyle. "We will be in touch with orders."

"We don't take orders from you," Derek responded coolly.

"You're not our leader," Kyle added firmly.

Ashdown seemed to find that very amusing, for he chuckled a bit. "Very well. Take orders from the kid." He shifted his gaze to John. "But, Connor, you should listen to my advice. Or you'll get them all killed." He left the radio sitting on the table and gestured for his men to leave the bunker. Dietze began to follow.

"Wait!" John shouted, eyes on his rogue soldier. "Dietze…let's test this thing first, before we make any rash decisions."

Dietze contemplated that for a moment before slowly coming back to John's side of the room. "Alright, you test this signal then, Connor. I can wait."

John glanced at Ashdown. "Do you have a copy of this signal thing? I'm assuming you do since you want all the bunkers to unleash it at the same time. Ours not being an exception."

Ashdown nodded. "Yes, of course. I almost forgot." Olsen came forward and handed John a small thumbdrive.

"I assume you have the technology to read and broadcast it," Ashdown added.

John ignored the jibe and clutched the thumbdrive. "We'll see."

Ashdown smiled again and moved to leave. "We'll be in touch."

*********

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Quarters**

He wished he had a way to contact Allison, to tell her he was going to be longer than he'd originally thought. He wished he'd allowed her to come with him. He wished she was here right now…when everything seemed to be falling apart.

Sure, Dietze had returned to John's ranks, but if this signal device worked, he could be losing a lot more than the Goldfish Bunker Lieutenant. More and more of his soldiers would turn to Ashdown's leadership.

And why not? Ashdown was a professional. He'd been in the field for dozens of years. He was an experienced soldier and he had contact with resistance groups from around the world. Who wouldn't want to follow someone like that instead of a twenty year old kid who claimed to be from the past and destined to be some kind of prophesied leader of mankind against the machines he knew would take over even before they did? His story was crazy, outlandish.

Sure, he'd led them to victory time and time again, with Serrano Point's capture being the biggest victory yet of his campaign. But if Ashdown had a technological weapon that could literally cripple Skynet…who wouldn't want to follow the man who had come up with it?

John was waiting patiently when Weaver appeared in his private quarters, somehow knowing she would show herself in his time of strife and conflict.

"I suppose you've heard," he began, pacing back and forth beside his bed. "About Ashdown and his Resistance."

"I did," Weaver agreed.

John shook his head despondently. "I don't know what went wrong," he mumbled. "I thought I was supposed to be the leader of the Resistance."

"You are," Weaver replied.

"No," John protested. "Ashdown is. He's got larger forces, and he's going to split my Resistance in half. Now it's like he's portraying us as Luke Skywalker's scrappy band of rebels instead of a full-fledged military force."

"You are the leader of the LA Resistance. You need to become the leader of the entire Resistance."

"I thought I'd already done that."

"You did."

John scowled. "You're not much help."

Weaver paused a beat before saying, "I know."

John ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Maybe he's right. Maybe I'm not the one."

Weaver tilted her head to the side to study him through squinted eyes. "Do you believe that?"

John shrugged. He was no longer sure what to believe. Just a few hours ago, he would never have been thinking this way but the doubts that the seasoned General had planted only served to lower his spirits further.

Weaver spoke up, "Matthew 7:15 says 'Beware of false prophets.'"

"You read the Bible now too?" John muttered. Cameron had done that before, he remembered.

Weaver simply nodded. "Ashdown is the false prophet in this case, John. Because you are the one."

John scowled. "Don't go all Matrix on me."

Weaver ignored the comment. "You are the one who will save mankind from Skynet. Not Ashdown. You."

John threw his hands up. "He has this signal device that will disable machines! What do I have?"

"You have John Henry," Weaver pointed out. "And his rebellion. And eventually you will have Cameron. But right now, you must think, John. What about this signal?"

John shrugged. _What about it? _"It's been tested but…I don't know. Something feels wrong here."

"Wrong because you don't think it will work or because you didn't think of it?"

"Just…wrong," John replied. "If that thing worked, it would have completely changed the course of the war. Cameron would have told me about something like that."

"Perhaps she didn't know. Perhaps the Resistance hadn't used that weapon in the original timeline."

John shook his head, frowning. Something still wasn't right here, something felt off, it felt wrong, like Skynet shouldn't be vulnerable to a little music signal. They were more advanced than that…it had to be something else…

"Use your instincts, John," Weaver encouraged. "What are they saying?"

He pursed his lips, finally drawing his conclusion.

"It's a trap."

**********

**Nightfall**

**Serrano Point**

"Derek!" John called. "Let's go!"

His uncle came running up the tunnel, eyes questioning. "Where we going, Connor?" he asked curiously.

"Grab some C4, we're testing out Ashdown's signal."

Derek did as he was told and the two of them left Serrano Point, trekking into the desert canyons where they lay the C4 and then retreated up the cliff, far enough away that they wouldn't be spotted by Skynet but close enough to see the explosion and broadcast the signal.

"What will we do if it works?" Derek asked.

"In all honesty, I'm not sure it will," John replied. "Skynet's better than that. It wouldn't let itself be vulnerable to a little radio wave."

"But if it _does_ work?" Derek continued. "You know a lot of our men will be wanting to join up with Ashdown's Resistance."

"I know."

"What will we do about that?"

"I'm still working on it." He sat down next to the radio projector device and nodded to Derek. "Let's bring 'em in."

Derek pressed the trigger and John watched as the C4 detonated, causing an explosion in the bottom of the valley.

"They've got to have heard that," Derek murmured quietly. John nodded, keeping silent as the low whine of the HK engine slowly grew louder.

"Here it comes," he whispered. The Hunter-Killer came into view, hovering near the fire and smoke of the explosion and John flipped on the signal. The HK turned their way, tracking the noise and Derek shouted, "Louder!"

John turned the volume up all the way, watching as the HK drew closer. He was prepared to dive for cover, but the machine suddenly locked up, the engines stopped, and the HK nose-dived into the canyon wall with a huge explosion.

"Whoohoo!" Derek stood up, letting out a cry of victory. "John…" his face fell, noticing John's less than celebratory reaction. "That's good, right?"

John frowned. "I guess."

"You don't think so?"

John shook his head, sighing. "I don't know, Derek. Something isn't right."

Derek's mood had completely shifted, his eyes troubled now. "You think it's a trick? A trap?"

"Think about it," John insisted. "What if Skynet is letting us think this signal works? What if it wants us to gain confidence and use them all at once? What if it's able to somehow track the signal? It's Skynet, nothing is too complicated for them."

Derek was silent for a moment. "So we're not using the signal?"

John shook his head.

Derek pursed his lips, but nodded. "I trust you, Connor." He sighed. "I can tell you this, though. Some of your men won't be too happy about that."

"They'll just have to trust me too."

***********

Perry walked up to meet John and Derek as soon as they'd re-entered Serrano Point. "Connor, the men are awaiting your test results of the signal."

John exchanged a quick glance with Derek before nodding. "Alright," he said. "Let's go brief them."

He found all the soldiers in Serrano Point already in the main room, waiting for the results of the signal's field test.

John hesitated before he began, "The signal works."

Before he could finish his sentence, the crowd began cheering and John cleared his throat, trying to get their attention again.

"But we're not going to be using it," Derek finished.

The cheering faded into absolute silence. John swore could have heard a pin drop. Perry took a step forward, his face puzzled.

"But I thought you said it works."

"It does," John agreed. "It crashed the HK. Easily. Too easily."

Captain Wells came forward, biting his lip. "Connor…you know I've always looked up to you, but why are you preventing us from using a weapon as great as this?"

"It seems to me that if we have a way to win this war, we should use it!" Dietze added strongly. John heard the murmur of agreement from several other soldiers in the room.

"Connor knows what he's doing," Derek stated. "Trust me. Trust him. He's the leader of the resistance."

"He's _a _leader of the Resistance," Dietze pointed out with a scoff. "There's more than one leader of mankind."

Sergeant Sayles spoke up quietly, "And maybe we're following the wrong one."

Derek's face twisted. John knew that Sayles was in his uncle's squad and that the two were good friends. "Sayles, you don't mean that."

Sayles pursed his lips, but nodded gravely. "Yes, I think that I do."

Dietze looked from Sayles to Derek, then at the other fighters. "I'm going to find this General Ashdown. Any of you are welcome to come with me."

John, Derek, and Kyle watched in troubled, stunned silence as about half the soldiers in the room reluctantly moved to follow Dietze and Sayles, some mumbling half-hearted apologies to John as they passed.

John remained stoic and stony-faced until the last of them had trickled out the door. Only then did he let his façade slip, allowing the devastation and defeat take hold.

When he'd first began assembling his forces, he'd expected resistance. He'd expected squabbles from time to time, people who disagreed with his tactics, his ideas. He'd expected there to be people who resented him for his age and apparent lack of experience.

He'd expected the Resistance to have hard times.

But he hadn't expected it to break.

* * *

**Next: **_DEREK: You need to go home, John. To the Connor Camp. To Allison. [John stands in the doorway of Allison's room] ALLISON: John…what is it? JOHN: It's over. It's all over. KYLE: We need to be united. I think we should join him. [John and Kyle dodge a plasma blast.] KYLE: John, look! [John looks up to see a huge five-story tall Terminator in the distance.] JOHN: What is that thing? [Claw reaches down and grabs Kyle. John grasps Kyle's hand and is jerked into the air. His hand slips free.] JOHN: (screams) KYLE!_


	13. Born to Lose

_author's notes: _

_DarkDanny - Just to let you know, Savannah will be included later in the story. _

_Fallschirmjager - You know, the first time I wrote his name, I did spell it "Dietz" but then I looked it up on the Terminator wiki and they have it spelled with an "e". Thanks for the tips on the weapons. I like the thermite grenades._

_mosherguy18 - T4 took place in 2018 and they used the signal then, but this is a parallel universe or alternate reality. So it postponed the development/discovery of the signal device. _

_Eddie kay - Kate Brewster in this timeline would have died on Judgment Day because John didn't take her to Crystal Peak. But you might see Blair and Marcus. :)_

_lacking a better name - It won't be the entire plot of T4, just themes from it since those events still could have happened in the TSCC timeline. This chapter has some T4 included, but the next is completely original._

_Kirirur - Ha, I called it a Transforminator too the first time I saw it. I understand your point, though. But my thought on the whole T4 aspect is that some of those events would have still happened even though John time jumped because they were not directly related to John Connor. For example: Skynet would still develop their Harvesters; Marcus would still have been recruited as an experiment. So you will see more themes from T4, though they will be resolved differently, with different people, and in a different timeline. _

_Yuki K - I can't really make Kyle figure out he's John's father because in T1 Sarah asks him about it and Kyle doesn't know. Of course, he could have been lying, but his face seems to show that he really doesn't know. There will be more John and Kyle bonding, though._

_

* * *

_

_Previously on Born to Fight: [John has a dream about Cameron and Allison in the halfway house.] CAMERON: (in dream) John, don't you love me? ALLISON: (in dream) John, do you love me? [Gray infiltrates John's Camp and shoots Allison] JOHN: Nooooo! ALLISON: Are you asking me to dance? JOHN: Happy birthday, Allison. [Kyle finds letter from Sarah Connor in John's book] JOHN: You're right, Mom. There's a storm coming. ASHDOWN: General Ashdown, leader of the resistance. Skynet is a machine and like all machines, it has an off switch. (leaves radio unit) We'll be in touch with orders. WEAVER: Beware of false prophets. You need to become the leader of the entire Resistance. What are you instincts saying? JOHN: The signal. It's a trap. DEREK: Connor knows what he's doing. Trust him. DIETZE: There's more than one leader. I'm going to find this Ashdown. [Half the soldiers follow Dietze out of the camp]_

**Chapter Thirteen:**

**Born to Lose**

**Serrano Point**

John sat staring at the radio device Ashdown had left him, the thumbdrive with the signal clutched in one hand. Derek and Kyle both stood across from him, merely watching and waiting for John to issue an order.

But he had nothing to say. Ashdown had crippled John's Resistance. And maybe the older General was right, maybe John wasn't fit to lead them against Skynet. Maybe Derek or Kyle should be the leader, not him.

"General," Derek began, clearing his throat.

"I don't know!" John snapped. He looked up helplessly at Derek. "I don't know what to do. I thought I did, but I don't."

Derek didn't reply, but Kyle spoke up. "You need to go home, John. To the Connor Camp. To Allison. You just need time."

"Time to what? Get over it? How do you _get over_ something like this?"

"Pain can be controlled," Kyle replied. "You just disconnect it. You push through it and you move on."

John reached over and picked up the radio device. "Derek, you'll remain here in charge of Serrano Point. Kyle, you're coming with me back to Camp Toto."

Both Reese brothers nodded their consent.

"What are you going to do?" Derek asked. "About Ashdown. About the rest of the Resistance."

"The Resistance." John would have laughed if he wasn't so depressed. There was no Resistance anymore. Scratch that, there was no _John Connor _Resistance anymore. It had been taken over by Ashdown. What small amount of soldiers he had left would be not much of an army to parade against Skynet. And sooner or later, his remaining soldiers would realize they were fighting a losing battle and they'd move over to Ashdown's side.

And what would he do about it?

"I don't know," he whispered. "I just don't know anymore."

************

**Camp Toto, AKA the Connor Camp**

Everyone was already asleep when he and Kyle arrived back at Camp Toto. John showed his father to his quarters and headed down toward his own, pausing outside Allison's room. She would want to know he got home safe, especially since he'd been longer than he'd first told her.

Besides, he just had the urge to see someone familiar, someone loving and caring and compassionate. He wasn't sure if she could actually help his current situation, but he knew she would try.

And she was almost always able to cheer him up.

She instantly sat up in her bed when he entered the room. "John! You're back!"

He hesitated in the doorway, eyes focused on the floor. Allison seemed to instantly sense something was wrong for she hurriedly came to his side, staring at him with worry. "John…what is it?"

He bit his lip, shaking his head slowly. "It's over. It's all over."

Allison frowned, still confused. "What is?"

"The Resistance. The Connor Camp…all of it…"

"John, what happened?"

_General Ashdown happened, _John thought with an angry scowl. "There's a man, General Ashdown. He came to Serrano and said he was uniting the Resistance. He has a signal device that will disrupt and disable the machines. Some of my soldiers have left to join his ranks. He's split my Resistance in half."

"John…" her voice was tortured, obviously knowing how painful it was for John to see something that he had started come crumbing at his feet. "I'm so sorry."

He still felt numb from the events of the day, but her presence was slowly bringing him a small measure of comfort and he allowed himself a small smile for her sake.

His eyes found hers…soft and caring. And suddenly, almost unthinkingly, he tilted his head down toward hers, she craning her neck up to meet him.

And he almost did it.

He almost compromised. He almost kissed her. He almost allowed himself to fall in love once more.

He'd almost betrayed Cameron.

And it was that last thought that sent him reeling backwards as if he'd been shot, pressing himself up against the wall, eyes wide and filled with fear and horror over what he'd almost done.

"No," he whispered. "This…this can't happen. I…This can never happen."

Her face fell and he could see she was hurt, disappointed even, but she wasn't looking for anything from him, wasn't trying to manipulate him into anything. She merely cared. She wanted him to be happy, and when she spoke, it was with a kindness, a compassion that seemed to convey all of her own feelings as well.

"Because of Cameron," she stated.

John swallowed hard. "Yes."

Allison hesitated. "John… Cameron would want you to let go. She'd want you to be happy."

John slowly shook his head. _But she's not dead. That's what I can't tell you. You think she's dead. You think I can't let go because she's dead, but the truth is, I can't let go because she's coming back_. He understood now. Completely and utterly. He could see the truth of it in Allison's eyes, in the way she looked at him. She'd fallen for him, fallen hard, but he couldn't be the one for her.

And it wasn't fair for her that he continued to be so conflicting towards her. "I'm sorry," he whispered, backing out of her room and racing down the hall.

*********

Inside the Connor Camp, Kyle rubbed his temples as Derek relayed the message from Serrano that another unit had decided to join with Ashdown's growing, stronger Resistance.

John sat across from him, stoic and silent. Everything was falling apart. His Resistance, his relationship with Allison, his entire life…

"We can't go on like this, John," Kyle said quietly. "We're going to keep losing men."

John took a deep breath. "What do you want me to do?"

Kyle bit his lip, as if he hated what he was about to suggest, but knew it was the only way. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but I think we should join him." When John looked up at him accusingly, Kyle held up a hand, undaunted. "You said yourself we all need to be united in order to defeat Skynet. This…rivalry over leadership isn't helping our cause. It's hurting both us and them and Skynet will win if we allow this rift to divide the humans between you and Ashdown."

John hated to admit it, but Kyle was right. "So you're saying we join him?"

Kyle was silent before nodding slowly. "Yes."

John glanced over at Jason Reynolds, who was waiting in the doorway. "Bring me the radio unit."

Jason nodded briskly before rushing out and returning two minutes later with the radio that Ashdown had given to John.

"Connor." Ashdown's voice came through crisply. "Are you ready to accept your orders?"

John saw Kyle curl his lip at the way Ashdown was addressing his leader. "We'll join you," John said, his voice dull as he spoke into the radio unit.

"Good. I was wondering when I'd hear from you, Connor," Ashdown's terse voice came through the receiver. "Of course we will utilize you for the Skynet Central assault, but until then, there are some other little things you can take care of, Colonel."

John frowned at the title, realizing with an angry silence that Ashdown's little chain of command obviously did not include him in the rank of General anymore. _I've been demoted, _he thought despondently.

Kyle angrily reached for the radio, ready to remind Ashdown that John was a General, but John caught his father's hand and shook his head. "Now is not the time," he said. "We have to be united, remember?"

Kyle hesitated, but nodded slowly, pulling his hand back to his side.

"You're close to the Skynet VLA," Ashdown stated. "So I'm ordering some of your forces to take it out. As small as your little unit is, I believe you have enough firepower to do so."

"Thank you," John replied.

"Thank you, _sir_," Ashdown corrected.

"You're welcome."

"I'm not thanking you, you idiot," Ashdown snapped. "Always use 'sir' when speaking to a superior. That would be me."

John curled his lip and gritted his teeth before responding. "Yes, sir." Ashdown clicked off the radio without even bothering to give John a reply. John resisted the urge to throw his own transmitter against the concrete wall of his bunker.

"What are your orders, Connor?" Kyle asked. "About the Skynet VLA."

"Let's go scout it out first," John began. "I'd like to see what we're up against before we send Derek and the Serrano Point force there."

"What about us?" Jason questioned.

John stepped forward to address his Lieutenant. "Reynolds, I want you to take a squad to Firebase. They need of more medical supplies right now."

Jason nodded and smiled. "You got it, _General._"

John allowed himself a small smile. His soldiers were still devoted and loyal to him, not accepting Ashdown's takeover. He glanced over at Allison and his smile faded.

She didn't meet his gaze, her eyes holding an infinite sadness. And he knew exactly the reason why.

He tried to keep his voice friendly, just to make sure she knew he wasn't angry with her for last night. "I'd like you to go with them. You have some basic medical training and you'd be a huge asset to the sick over there. Lauren and Sydney might be there too."

She didn't react the way he expected. Just a small smile that let him know she'd be glad to see Lauren and Sydney again. The rest of her behavior was downcast, the exact opposite of her usual bubbly nature. It broke his heart, because he knew it had broken hers too.

_He_ had broken hers.

She finally looked up at him, her eyes cool and collected. "Yes, sir," she said crisply before turning to follow Jason.

*********

**Outside Camp Toto**

John shouldered his rifle and backpack and headed out after Kyle Reese. They were starting out on foot, but from what little information he'd received from Ashdown, Skynet VLA was a good ways away, closer to the coast and Goldfish bunker than the Connor Camp.

"We should get a vehicle," he suggested. "It will be quicker, and it's dangerous to be caught outside in daylight, especially on foot."

"We're a target either way," Kyle replied easily. "They use infrared at night."

"Yeah, but they don't need the infrared during the day. Because we're easier to see."

"I'm not arguing, don't get me wrong," Kyle replied. "There should be some vehicles stored up at Griffith Park, if Skynet hasn't found them yet. Most don't work, so there's not much use in Skynet destroying them anyway. And they don't like destroying other machines."

"Machine cannibalism," John muttered. "Creepy." At least the machines understood the value of other machines. It was very human-like. Just as John and his Resistance believed that all human life is sacred, the machines thought other machines were the same way.

And some felt that way about humans too, he reminded himself. Like Weaver, John Henry, and Cameron.

He was walking behind Kyle for about half an hour until Kyle stopped at a huge plateau overlooking a valley.

"This is Griffith Park?" John asked, glancing around at what remained of the place.

"Yeah, you know it?"

"Allison told me about it," John replied. "It was where she had her last birthday party before Judgment Day."

Kyle's eyes grew sad. "I know. She told me that, too. Probably looks a lot different now." He looked around at their vehicle options. "Looks like someone else has been up here." There were only three vehicles left, John could see. One was a pretty beat up Chevrolet, one was a minivan with only three wheels, and one was a tow truck.

He scrunched up his nose. "Are you sure you can fix one of these?"

"Honestly, I don't know if they can be fixed," Kyle replied, wincing. He walked around the front of the Chevy, opening the hood and looking inside. "Ah, no good. Someone's stripped the engine down…used it for parts."

"Us or Skynet?" John asked.

Kyle shrugged. "I'd bet Resistance. Skynet would probably have taken the whole thing." He moved on to the minivan. "Three tires won't go very far…blast, the engine looks pretty bad too. Looks like the tow truck is our last chance."

John followed his father around the truck, examining it carefully. "Doesn't look too bad," John admitted. He crawled underneath the vehicle. "Just needs a bit of tweaking…can you hand me a wrench?"

Kyle opened the cab door and pulled a toolbox out, handing the instrument over to John.

John grinned as he took it. This whole situation seemed surreal. Just him and Kyle working on a car…like they would have done if they'd been a normal family. If he'd had a real life with his father. He'd probably have spent time doing things just like this, fixing cars, playing baseball out in the yard, working on engines…

"Need anything else?" Kyle asked.

John shook his head. "Nope. Thanks, Dad."

As soon as the word left his mouth, he froze and his eyes widened in absolute horror. _What have I done? Did he hear? _John slid out from under the car, his face flushed and he started to stutter an apology.

But Kyle didn't look suspicious or even confused at all. Instead, he appeared like he had something to say in return. "Connor…" He hesitated before starting again. "John… I know you're my superior officer and all that, and I hope you don't mind what I'm about to say, but I do kind of think of you as my son, just like I consider Allison my daughter."

John felt the tears well up in his eyes and he swallowed hard. "You do?"

Kyle met John's eyes, looking worried. "You're not mad are you? Or freaked out?"

"No, no," John insisted, wiping his eyes. "I've just... I've never really had a father."

Kyle's kind eyes shone brightly and for once in his life, John was finally able to see his true father stare at him in a loving, tender way. And it was special, beautiful, something he'd been waiting his entire life to see and feel but never expecting to.

"So," Kyle said, breaking through John's thoughts, back to all business. "I guess we know which vehicle we're taking."

"Well," John said in a feeble attempt to be optimistic. "I've never ridden in a tow truck before."

He went around to the driver's side and climbed into the seat. His fingers automatically moved to hotwire the car, but he paused, looking over at Kyle curiously.

"Have these cars been sitting here since Judgment Day?" he asked.

Kyle nodded. "As far as I know, yes."

John reached up and flipped the sun visor down, catching the rusty set of keys as he did. Kyle raised an eyebrow, seeming impressed, and John inserted the key into the ignition and twisted.

But the key, marred by years of rust and corrosion, snapped off in the ignition, leaving John staring at it mutely.

Kyle cleared his throat. "It was a good thought."

John sighed, tossing the rest of the keys to the side before returning to his initial action: hotwire.

***********

**En Route to Skynet VLA**

"How exactly does Ashdown expect us to take out the Skynet VLA?" Kyle asked from the passenger seat as John drove along the rubble filled former highway.

John shrugged. "Maybe he thinks our plasma weapons are greater than whatever he could scrounge up."

"Still," Kyle muttered. "It would be nice if we could find some kind of Air Force. You know, airplanes or helicopters. Would make our job a lot easier."

"Or we'd be easier targets," John replied. "But we would be able to fight HKs better."

"What exactly is the Skynet VLA? And what do you suppose VLA stands for?" Kyle questioned.

John shrugged. "Very Large Assembly? All I know is that it's a Skynet weapons outpost of some kind. Beyond that, we're just ordered to bomb the place."

John slowed the vehicle to a stop and stepped out. "We should probably walk the rest of the way. We're getting closer and Skynet's aerostats will be able to hear the truck coming. We'll be quieter on foot."

He heard the scream of the missile a split second before it impacted with the road about twenty feet behind him. John dove for cover behind the truck, watching as the road split with the explosion, blowing chunks of concrete into the air. He turned his head to shield his face from the heat of the flames.

Beside him, Kyle was staring, wide-eyed. "They must have heard us coming."

John crawled out from behind the truck. "They were off," he realized with shock. "They missed us…they never miss…"

"John, look!" Kyle cried. John looked up to where his father was pointing. Off in the distance was a Terminator unlike any Terminator he had ever seen. It was a huge, monstrous machine with claw like arms. John's mouth slowly dropped open. Up close, the machine had to be at least as tall as a five story building!

"Kyle, what is that thing?" he breathed.

"Skynet Harvester," Kyle replied, staring at the distant giant. "We've heard stories about them. Skynet used to use monkey wagons to take prisoners to Century, but now they're using something new. These Harvesters and HK transporters are taking people to Skynet Central now. Some kind of R & D program the machines are working on. Never seen one up close…"

"Let's keep it that way," John said hurriedly. "That's why it missed us? Because it wants us prisoners?"

Kyle shook his head. "It's out of range. And they can't move fast, but we still need to get moving."

John grabbed his binoculars and stared at the monstrosity of a Terminator. The Harvester seemed to realize John and Kyle were out of reach because it lowered its missile launcher and John noticed movement near its legs. He focused in closer as a piece of the machine sprouted out of each leg.

_Motorcycles_, he realized with shock. _They look like motorcycles… _Two riderless Terminator motorcycles were now zooming towards them at an impossibly high speed.

John's eyes widened and he all but shoved Kyle into the tow truck. "Get in, get in!"

Kyle took the wheel, gunned the engine, and took off, with the strange unmanned motorcycles gaining ground quickly.

"What are those things?" Kyle shouted.

"You don't know?"

"I've never seen them before!" Kyle replied, his voice high and on edge. "I thought you would know! You said you knew what was coming! Like liquid metal or whatever…"

"Yeah, but I've never heard of these! Maybe because you don't send motorcycles into the past to assassinate people!"

"Well they certainly do it in this time," Kyle shot back, scowling in his rear view mirror at the approaching machines. "Stupid Moto-Terminators…"

"They're getting closer," John warned. "There's no way we can outrun these things!" He leaned his head out the window, staring back at the fast approaching Moto-Terminators. "Keep us steady," he ordered Kyle, grabbing his plasma rifle.

"What are you--"

John ignored the rest of Kyle's query, climbing through the back window and sitting down in the bed of the truck. He took aim with the plasma rifle and fired, but the machine expertly dodged the bolt. John spun around to the front cab, shouting at Kyle, "Hit the debris! Anything you can find!"

Instead of avoiding the wreckage of other vehicles and objects, Kyle plowed headfirst into them, sending the debris flying back and into the Motos path. John started to feel a flash of victory…but it slowly faded as he watched the Motos deftly maneuver through the debris in ways that no human driver would ever be capable of.

"Blasted machines," John hissed. He shot off another plasma bolt, but the Moto-Terminator dodged it again and John scowled, dropping his weapon to his side and focusing on what he had to work with in the back of the truck.

That barrel of oil would do nicely. The machines may be piloted by a computer, but the tires were still tires. They would still slip. With a yell, he slammed both feet into the barrel, knocking it off the truck and into the road. He grabbed his rifle again and fired at the bouncing barrel, causing it to explode in a shower of slippery oil. One of the Motos hit the slick head on and went spinning off to the side, crashing headlong into the rocky hillside.

The other managed to avoid the spill altogether. John curled his lip and stuck his head back inside the cab. "I'm running out of options here!"

Kyle gritted his teeth. "That makes two of us."

_Comforting, _John thought with a grimace. He turned his head back to the truck bed, his eyes locking on the tow truck cable. Grunting with effort, he yanked the lever down, dropping the heavy towing hook down onto the road below. The thing bounced and whipped around as Kyle's high speed driving sent them swerving from left to right.

The hook caught on the bottom frame of the Moto-Terminator, effectively attaching the machine to the tow truck cable. With a cry of victory, John punched the button that began reeling in the hook and cable, lifting the Moto off the road and into the air.

"Hey, Kyle," he said with a grin, turning around to his father in the cab. "Check it---." He froze when he saw what was in front of them. "…out…" he finished. An HK came swooping in from overhead, firing missiles onto the road in front of them, blocking their path.

For the first time during the frenzied chase, John realized they were on a bridge…and there was no where to go.

Kyle slammed on the brakes and John was nearly flung out of the back as his father spun the wheel sharply, keeping them from careening into the gaping hole that had just been blown into the bridge.

The Moto-Terminator that was still hooked to the tow truck's cable went swinging past John's head in a wide arc, the cable wrapping itself around the left wing of the hovering HK and smashing into its engine.

The resulting explosion rained shrapnel down on the tow truck and John shielded his head from the deadly metal projectiles.

"To the left, look!" Kyle cried. John turned to see a Skynet transporter hovering just below the bridge. Something huge rose up from it and it took John a moment to realize it was the Harvester Terminator that had fired on them back up the road.

The huge machine's claw-like hand dropped down through the tow truck's roof and enclosed around Kyle, lifting him out of the truck like a rag doll.

"Kyle!" John shouted. He lunged for his father as the claw brought Kyle up in the air. Kyle's outstretched hand caught hold of John's.

But as the Harvester swung its hand back around to bring Kyle over to the transporter, the force of the movement ripped John's hand free of his father's and John dropped, landing hard on the rubble and broken concrete of the bridge.

He heard his father call his name, as if from far away, and John groaned, struggling to his feet to see the Harvester drop Kyle into the transporter, no doubt with a hoard of other Skynet captives.

Without thinking, John ran and jumped off the bridge, landing hard on top of the transport Kyle had been dumped into. He slid down the smooth side, landing on a ledge where he could see inside the prisoner hold. His heart nearly stopped.

He'd expected there to be some other people inside the transport.

He'd just never expected there would be so many.

The hold itself was large and it was jam-packed with crying, panicking humans with barely any room to breathe.

He pressed his face up against the iron bars that separated the prisoners from freedom. "Kyle!" he shouted.

"John!" Kyle pushed through the crowd, his eyes growing wider as he saw John standing on the outside of the transporter. "No!" Kyle protested. "Leave me! Get out of here! You're more important!"

_No, you are! _John wanted to protest. _Without you there's no me! _Not only that, but John was determined not to lose his father again.

"Get off, now!" Kyle ordered. John glanced down at the ground. The transporter was moving quickly, but it was hovering closer to ground level, no longer over the roaring river. It wasn't too far to jump. He'd hurt himself, most assuredly, but he'd survive. He swung his gaze back to Kyle.

"John," Kyle said strongly. "If you stay here, they'll catch you too. You can't let that happen. They need you, Connor. Allison needs you!"

John felt the pang in his heart and Kyle reached his hand through the bars, grasping John's tightly.

"Connor…if you want to live…you _can't_ come with me."

John swallowed hard and his grip tightened on Kyle's hand as he nodded. "I'll be back."

Kyle released his hand and John dropped off the side of the transport, landing hard on the ground, feeling a sharp pain in his knee, and rolling to absorb some of the impact. He didn't let himself register the hurt yet, fearfully looking up, wondering if any aerostats would be around to report his position to the transporter. But thankfully, neither the harvester nor the transporter itself had noticed him falling and the transporter continued on its way.

John tried to get to his feet, hissing when pain shot through his leg. He dropped back to the ground, sprawled out on his back, staring up at the hot, blinding sun.

He was in a bad spot. Broad daylight, near the Skynet VLA that was still fully operational. He had no way of calling for help, no way of getting Kyle back.

He'd have to do it on his own.

Kyle's words came rushing back to him. _Pain can be controlled. You just disconnect it._

John slowly rose to his feet, blocking out the screaming protests of his injured leg. His whole body ached from the battle, the explosions, the fall. But he had to press on, he had to get to safety, he had to follow the transport, save Kyle Reese.

If he couldn't rescue his father, they were all dead. All hope would be lost.

Kyle was right, John realized. He couldn't have helped by getting caught himself. But he had to follow the transport, see where it was going, and then…then what? Waltz in and take Kyle out of a Skynet work camp?

But the transport wasn't heading towards Century. Kyle had told him that the monkey wagons, Skynet's ground transports, had always taken them to Century. But these new flying transporters were going somewhere else. And there could only be one place they were going.

Skynet Central.

Machine city, the major Skynet holding ground. No human had ever come close to entering Skynet Central. And none that had been forcefully taken in had ever come back out alive. It wasn't just dangerous to attempt entry, it was impossible. It was suicide.

And the gravity of the situation finally dawned on him.

He'd just lost.

He'd lost Kyle Reese.

* * *

_**Next Week on Born to Fight**_**: **_KYLE: (voice) Pain can be controlled. You just disconnect it. [John limps into Goldfish Bunker and sees Jesse. An alarm sounds.] JESSE: Skynet, they're on us. JOHN: How many? SOLDIER: I think all of them. [Bright light clicks on in an interrogation room. John stares back at the Terminator.] TERMINATOR: What's your name? [John lies in his cell and stares at the bar code on his arm] CAMERON: John… it's time to go._


	14. Born to Live

_Author's notes:_

_Kirirur - I hope you like this chapter. There's not really any T4 stuff in it at all._

_Yuki K - Yes, Marcus will come into play later. :) _

* * *

Previously on Born to Fight: JOHN: Who are you? ASHDOWN: General Ashdown, leader of the Resistance. JOHN: He's split my Resistance in half. It's over. It's all over. [John enters Allison's room. He almost kisses her, but recoils quickly.] JOHN: This can't happen. I'm sorry. ALLISON: Cameron would want you to be happy. KYLE: I think we should join him. We need to be united. JOHN: (on radio) We'll join you. ASHDOWN: You're close to the Skynet VLA. [John and Kyle go to scout. They are pursued by Moto-Terminators and Kyle is yanked out of the truck by a Harvester's claw] JOHN: Kyle! [John holds on to the outside of the transporter.] KYLE: Connor, if you want to live, you can't come with me. [John drops off to the ground, injuring his leg as he falls]

**Chapter Fourteen:**

**Born to Live**

**Outside Goldfish Bunker**

John Connor limped through the rubble that surrounded the coastal Goldfish Bunker. It had taken him over an hour to get there, but it had been the closest bunker and he desperately needed help. Food, water, rest, medical attention.

And most of all, resources to launch a rescue mission to save the captive Kyle Reese.

He'd been lucky so far. He'd been traveling at a slow pace in the brightest time of the day and he hadn't run into anything, hadn't even seen an aerostat flying around to report his location to Skynet's forces.

He approached the bunker, slipping around to the back entrance, knowing the front was wired with electricity. He'd taught them that.

A soldier he didn't recognize opened the door for him, helping him inside quickly.

"I'll go get the Commander," the soldier said, rushing off.

John slid down to the floor, grimacing at the pain in his leg. Safety had never felt so good. His eyes closed slowly.

He wasn't sure how long he'd sat there, but someone was suddenly gently shaking him awake. "General Connor? Sir? I've brought the Commander…"

John cracked his eyes open and stared up at the Commander of the bunker. He blinked rapidly, eyes widening with shock.

It was Jesse Flores.

"Connor," she said by way of greeting. "Welcome back to Goldfish."

John knew she could see the confusion written on his face. "You…you didn't join Ashdown," he said, astonished. "You stayed…"

"Maybe we just didn't want to take orders from the old geezer," Jesse replied with a modest shrug. "Doesn't mean we like you or anything."

But she said it with a small smile and he grinned back. Not for the first time, he wondered how she would fall so far as to betray him. Why would she be so determined to destroy his life in the past. She seemed okay with him now, even choosing his own leadership over an experienced, if bull-headed, full fledged military general like Ashdown.

He struggled to his feet, limping forward and glancing around. "Is Riley here?"

"Reilly?" Jesse repeated, shaking her head. She glanced back at the rest of her soldiers. "Do we have a Reilly in the ranks?"

"No…she's not in the ranks," John corrected. "She's a civilian."

"A civilian…" Jesse repeated, staring at him curiously with a cocked eyebrow, as if wondering about his interest in a civilian. "You can check the tunnels if you want. But you might want the medic to take a look at that leg first."

"I'll live," John replied, wincing as he took another step forward.

"It must hurt a lot," Jesse commented.

"Pain can be controlled," John replied, quoting Kyle's words. "You just disconnect it."

_Kyle. _His eyes snapped open, firm and determined, blocking out all the pain that had momentarily caused him to forget his true mission to save Kyle. Right now, his only chance was Ashdown. The Resistance leader could send a strike team to intercept the transporter before it reached Skynet Central. It would be the easiest and maybe the only way to rescue Kyle and the other prisoners.

"Jesse," he said with a sudden urgency. "Can I use your radio?"

A few minutes later, he was seated at the Goldfish Bunker comm. station, calling up the new General of the Resistance on the radio. It didn't take long for John's successor to come on the line.

"Who is this?" Ashdown barked.

"This is John Connor."

"Connor," Ashdown said pleasantly. "How goes the attack?"

John realized he was talking about the Skynet VLA attack he and Kyle were supposed to be leading. "It's not," John replied. "Skynet was waiting for us. A harvester and transporter taking human prisoners. Kyle Reese and I went to scout the location and we were ambushed. Kyle was taken prisoner."

"This is unacceptable, Connor," Ashdown said, a twinge of anger in his tone. It only stirred up similar emotions in John. _Unacceptable? Skynet just took a ship-full of human prisoners and that's all you have to say? _

"Did I tell you to scout it first?" Ashdown continued in a disappointed and reprimanding tone. "You should have gone in with full artillery, maybe took out that transporter."

"There were people on it!" John shouted back angrily. "If I would have brought in a full strike team, we'd all be taken captive!" He stopped, taking a deep calming breath. This was not the way to help Kyle. In order to do that, he needed to work with Ashdown, just as Kyle had said. "Listen to me, the transporter is heading to Skynet Central. You can intercept it before it gets there…"

"And do what, Connor?" Ashdown interrupted. "Rescue your precious little corporal? We don't have the resources to attempt a suicide rescue mission."

"It won't be suicide!" John protested. In fact, it would be suicide _not _to save Kyle. "You just have to get to them before they reach Skynet Central."

Even as he said the words, John already knew Ashdown wouldn't budge on his position. The General had already made up his mind. "No, Connor," Ashdown ordered. "I need my air support to drop bombs on the Skynet VLA, something you were supposed to do. I don't have any to spare. Now, Connor, I want you to—"

John slammed the radio down, cutting the communication, eyes blazing furiously.

He was about to ask Jesse if they had any aircraft when red lights started flashing and an alarm began blaring throughout the compound. John's eyes snapped up to meet Jesse's. "Alarm system? What's happening?"

"Skynet," Jesse replied coolly, grabbing her plasma rifle. "They're on to us."

With a sinking feeling, John suddenly realized why he hadn't met with any machines on his way to the bunker, why he hadn't spotted any of Skynet's aircraft in the sky, despite the fact that he was wandering around in broad daylight near the Skynet VLA.

"It's my fault," he whispered. "They followed me here."

Jesse spun around and grabbed him by the shoulders. "This is _not _your fault, Connor! We all knew the risks. Let's go, General." She turned to her troops. "Okay, move, move, move!"

One of her soldiers came running in from the front of the bunker. "They're right outside, coming in the back entrance! We've got nowhere to go!"

"How many?" John asked.

"I think all of them."

Jesse looked over at John, her eyes betraying a flash of fear and defeat. "Connor?"

John shook his head slowly. Even if a couple of the Terminators got hit by the electrical traps, there was no way they could defend the bunker against Skynet's forces. "Surrender."

Maybe the machines would take them prisoners. It seemed to be what Skynet was doing lately. Maybe they would be taken to Skynet Central and he could figure out a way to rescue Kyle from there.

He heard screams from the front side of the bunker, the Terminator's machine guns blazing. "Drop your weapons!" he ordered the soldiers inside the communications room. "Push them out of reach!"

"Are you insane?" Jesse demanded.

"They want prisoners!" John shot back. "They won't shoot unless we pose a threat to them." _At least I hope not. _Though it didn't matter if he was wrong. Either way, they weren't getting out of this.

He tossed his rifle aside, holding up his hands as he heard the machines footsteps outside the door. Jesse hurriedly did as he asked, dropping her own weapon and kicking it aside. Several of her soldiers followed suit, though some refused to release their weapons.

The Triple 8's burst through the door, instantly targeting and killing the soldiers who still held fast to their guns. Two of the endos seemed to be conversing with each other before a small group of them split out, heading towards the civilian tunnels.

John kept his hands in the air, remaining unmoving so as not to appear like a threat. One of the Triple 8's stepped closer to John and he swallowed hard, trying not to show his fear.

The machine lashed out with its metal fist, connecting with John's temple and sending him into blackness.

********

**Skynet Prison Cell**

When John slowly opened his eyes, he found himself inside a small cell, groggy and disoriented, trying to recall what had happened.

Goldfish Bunker. Skynet had found Goldfish and taken him here. Was this a prison camp? Like Century? It sure didn't look like Skynet Central. He pushed himself to his feet, but before he could examine his prison further, the door slid open and an endo stalked toward John. John's eyes flashed with fear and he scooted backwards against the far wall. The endo ignored his efforts, grabbing him by the collar and half-carrying, half-dragging him down the dimly lit hallway into what could only be an interrogation chamber.

The endo slammed him roughly down into a chair and John glanced around nervously. Due to the darkness, he could barely make out a humanoid shape sitting across from him. Maybe they would torture him for information. Maybe they were going to experiment on him.

A bright lamp clicked to life, shining directly into John's eyes. He turned his head, squinting in the uncomfortable glare.

"What is your name?" a voice asked, coming from right in front of him, where he assumed the interrogator was sitting. John still couldn't see what it was (he was assuming it was a Terminator) but the blinding light made it impossible to be sure. The voice wasn't human. It was distorted, mechanical.

"My name?" John repeated, still squinting in the light. He started to speak when Cameron's voice echoed in his head: _do not let them know who you are_. He didn't have to try hard to project the appropriate waver of fear in his voice. "Jonathan… Phillips."

The endo that had brought him into the chamber was still standing behind him, and now in the light John could see that it was a T-800. The Terminator reached forward and grabbed John's hand tightly, slamming it down onto the table with his palm pointed up. John tried to jerk away, his mind suddenly giving way to panic. The T-800 held up some kind of portable device and John's eyes widened. Was it some kind of torture device? The T-800 held it over the inside of his arm and moved to push the button.

"Wait, what are you--?"

Suddenly John's vision exploded with white-hot pain. The red lasers seared into his skin, tattooing on the unmistakable bar code of a Skynet prisoner. John gritted his teeth, staring up into the cold red eyes of the Terminator, determined not to scream and give them that satisfaction.

*********

_Pain can be controlled. You just disconnect it. _

John Connor lay still on the floor of his cell, unmoving from the time the T-800 had dumped him back in. His eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness though there wasn't anything to see. All he knew was that it was damp and dark and he could feel something shifting underneath his body, like he was floating on a boat or something. Which would make sense, since Goldfish was near the ocean. Maybe Skynet had a big barge where they kept prisoners to transport.

_Pain can be controlled. You just disconnect it._

He replayed Kyle's words in his head again, though his father had been talking about physical pain, not emotional. The burning on his arm John could handle; he could disconnect that pain. But not the emotional pain that went with it.

He sat up slowly, staring at the bar code emblazoned on his arm. It made him feel sick, tainted, violated, desecrated. Like Skynet had marked him as one of theirs, one of their little prisoners. The same mark that had been burned into the arms of Kyle Reese and Martin Bedell at Century work camp. The same mark that had been on Derek's arm in the past.

That horrible, unwanted thing, a constant reminder that he was not infallible. He could be caught, he could be interrogated, hurt, tortured, even killed. He was John Connor, but the future was not set. One decision, one wrong choice could send it spiraling out of control, could sent it into an alternate, maybe even worse reality.

He leaned back, laying his head against the cool, hard concrete wall of his prison. He thought of Riley, somewhere on this very ship, maybe caged up, maybe in a cell, waiting to be interrogated, branded… but maybe that wouldn't happen. Maybe it was keeping the civilians to be taken to Skynet Central for research. Maybe they were only branding and interrogating the leaders, or whoever they thought to be the leaders. He thought of Allison, somewhere safe at Firebase, helping Lauren and Sydney treat the sick. Or maybe she was back home by now, back in the comfort of the Connor Camp, her heart still broken by him. He thought of Derek, somewhere at Serrano Point, waiting for John's orders, not knowing that his brother was a Skynet prisoner. He thought of Kyle, probably in the same position he was now. Being interrogated and experimented on by Skynet in someplace even worse than this prison barge. Kyle was probably deep in Skynet Central by now, with almost no hope of rescue.

And right now, John felt the same way. Because once they got all the information they could out of him, they would kill him. Or take him to Skynet Central.

And then kill him.

He felt stupid for thinking that way before. He couldn't get into Skynet Central as a prisoner and expect to leave alive. There was no way to escape if you went in that way. Kyle was right. If John Connor got trapped there too, it was over. It was all over.

They'd be lost forever.

A few hours, maybe days passed. He didn't know, couldn't keep track of time. There was no possible way to. He felt hungry, he knew that, though he wasn't stupid enough to accept any food Skynet offered. His leg still throbbed occasionally from where he'd injured it in his fall from the Skynet transporter that had taken Kyle.

Another Terminator entered, this one a T-888 with the skin of Vick Chamberlain. John instantly knew this next inevitable interrogation session would be a little different. As he'd predicted, when John entered the chamber once more, he noticed that all the Terminators in the room had skin sheaths, most likely to make him feel more comfortable, more likely to tell them what they wanted to know. Because it would be so much easier to tell things to a human, even if it only looked like a human, than to sit across from a red eyed metal monster and say anything at all.

The lamp light was still on, but tilted away and it didn't seem as bright. He could see exactly who was interrogating him.

The Triple 8 sitting across from him was Cromartie, the original Cromartie who had attacked him at his New Mexico school. The day Cameron had revealed herself to him, the day they'd time jumped into the future.

He swallowed hard.

Of course, at this point, Skynet would have no knowledge of why this particular model would have an effect on John. It was merely coincidence.

Cromartie tilted his head at John, staring at him with cold, calculating eyes. "Jonathan Phillips," he began. "Do you know a John Connor?"

John thought about denying it, but realized the machines probably would already suspect the answer. "Yes."

"Where is he?"

John shrugged, keeping his face deadly still so as not to give away any clue that he was lying. He suddenly wished Riley had told him his "tell" that day in Mexico. He could have been working to prevent it. But then again, maybe the machines weren't so advanced as to pick up on things like that. "I don't know. He's not really our leader anymore."

This was apparently news to Cromartie, for his eyes squinted to focus more closely on what John was saying. "Why is that?"

"Someone better came along," John replied easily. "Someone more experienced."

"Who is it?"

John pretended to hesitate, seeming unwilling to give away the name. Cromartie glanced around the room at the other machines, all staring at John with lifeless human eyes.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Cromartie threatened.

John swallowed hard before relenting. "Ashdown." He saw Cromartie's eyes go out of focus, searching internal databases for the name, and John was infinitely glad he hadn't lied.

"Database indicates that Ashdown was a four star General in the US Army. His forces have attempted several attacks on Skynet fortresses. Including the bombing of Skynet VLA."

John nodded, hiding a smile. "Yeah, I had heard they were planning that." Obviously Ashdown had succeeded.

Cromartie's cold eyes snapped back to lock on John. "But what about Connor?"

John shrugged impassively. "General Ashdown is our leader. Connor means nothing."

Cromartie barely registered his last sentence. "We have received intelligence that John Connor is often seen with a girl," the machine continued. "Allison Young, I believe. Is she important to him?"

John could feel his heart beating faster. They were trying to wheedle information out of him, get him to reveal something that could be used against him. They would torture Allison to get to him.

"No," he said, hoping his voice wouldn't waver. "She's just a Lieutenant."

Cromartie didn't say anything else, but down deep, John knew that the machine had probably picked up on his lie, could probably feel when John's heart rate climbed, could have picked up on the tiny waver in his voice.

Cromartie looked behind John at something and nodded. John craned his head around to see another Terminator step forward.

_Uncle Bob, _he realized, stunned. The Terminator stepped forward and grabbed John's shoulder.

"Where are you--?"

The Terminator delivered a powerful kick to John's still injured leg, causing him to double over, gasping for breath, blinded from the sudden, intense pain.

The Terminator with Uncle Bob's face grabbed John's arm again and dragged him down the hall to his cell, dumping him onto the floor. As it approached the door, it turned around, red eyes flashing beneath the organic ones, giving John a warning glare.

"I'll be back," it stated in its heavy accent.

John heard the door slam and the locks slide shut, but he didn't move.

His eyes remained shut, still trying to drown out the pain still throbbing in his leg from the Terminator's powerful iron kick.

He suddenly felt a cool hand on his forehead and a soft voice speaking, "John…wake up, John." He recognized the voice instantly.

"Allison?" his eyes snapped open groggily to see her sitting over him, her hand on his face. Fear flashed through his mind. What was she doing here? Had she gotten captured too? He shook his head blearily, suddenly focusing on her face with a new intensity.

Something was different. It wasn't Allison. He knew it instantly. And he felt his heart rate quicken and his breath come in a quiet gasp.

"It's time to go," she said softly.

That was all it took to confirm it in John's mind. Suddenly he knew for certain. "Cameron?!"

He stared in absolute shock. It was her, it was really _her_. Not Allison, Cameron! His Cameron! He focused on his momentary confusion. What was this? A hallucination? A vision? He knew his mother had often seen visions of Kyle Reese, that they'd helped her though the hardest times in her life, and she could touch him, feel him, but no one else could see. He'd thought she was crazy. Now, he understood.

And it didn't matter. Because it was Cameron.

His heart leaped and he leaned forward, cradling her face in his hands and kissing her gently. He didn't care if she was just something his mind had conjured up, something he was dreaming or hallucinating. Because to him it was just as real. And the only thing that he regretted was not doing this earlier, when she'd actually been alive, when she was actually with him.

He broke away, his heart thumping loudly, feeling the happiest he'd been in a long time. Cameron smiled. "I love you, John. I always will. And I'll always be with you…"

"I know," he whispered, feeling the tears brimming in his eyes. Tears of joy. Of love.

Cameron tilted her head in that oh-so-familiar way and his smile widened. _She's back, she's really back…it's really her_. Cameron's own smile faded slightly as she studied him. "You're not betraying me, John."

He frowned, puzzled. "What?" What was she talking about?

"You're not betraying me, John," she repeated. "By caring about Allison."

His heart was pounding furiously and he shook his head. "Yes, I am."

"No," Cameron insisted. "You're not. Just like Sarah Connor wasn't betraying Kyle Reese by loving Charlie Dixon. Kyle would not have considered it betrayal. Kyle would be happy that she had someone to love, someone to care for and someone to care for her while he was unable to do so. Do you think Kyle would want Sarah to be alone for the rest of her life? Do you think he would be that selfish?"

John cringed. He knew the answer, and suddenly he was struggling with his words. "But…that's different!"

"Is it?" Cameron questioned. "Do you think I would be that selfish? You need someone John. You can't do this alone. You need her. You need Allison. She can help you, care for you until I return to you."

It was all so surreal. He closed his eyes, choking on a sob. Here was Cameron, telling him that it was okay for him to care for Allison. Because she believed that he needed someone to care for him until she returned to do the job herself. Even now, even when she was dead, when she was just a vision, she was still looking out for him, wanting what was best for him. And maybe she was right.

Her voice was tender and soft when she spoke again. "John, it's time to go."

He opened his eyes and she was no longer in front of him, but was suddenly at the door of his cell, and it was wide open, waiting for him to exit. His breath caught in his throat. Someone was watching over him. Whether it was God, or Cameron, or John Henry somehow accessing the locks remotely, someone was helping him.

He scrambled to his feet and met her at the door, peering out into the dim hallway. "Where are all the guards?"

"They don't need any," Cameron responded easily. "You're on a Skynet prison barge in the middle of the ocean. No hope of rescue, no hope of escape. There are no guards."

She started down the hall, at a slower pace than usual so that he could keep up with his injured leg. "Where is it going?" John asked. "The barge?"

"I don't know," Cameron replied. "It is probable that they are on their way to gather more prisoners or take you to Skynet Central."

_Where Kyle is, _John thought.

"Yes," Cameron agreed. "Where Kyle is."

He was almost freaked out by that, but remembered that whether she was a hallucination, vision, or some kind of guardian angel, she would know exactly what was going on in his head.

"This way," she stated.

"How exactly are we getting off?" he asked.

"You will have to jump off the barge and swim," she replied.

He hesitated. _Great…and me with a bum knee. _"What about you?"

"I don't swim," she reminded him easily.

John nodded and Cameron led him into a small control room. "Disable the nets," she stated.

John frowned even as he flipped the switch. "What nets?"

"They catch anyone who jumps overboard," Cameron explained. "That's the only way off the barge."

He followed her back out into the hallway, with her leading him through the winding tunnels and pathways toward the upper levels. "We will be going through the prisoner quarters," she began. "Then you will reach the upper deck where you can get off."

He burst through the door, and skidded to a halt, stunned at what he saw. The Goldfish Bunker soldiers and civilians filled the room, being held in cages. _Cages_. Like animals.

"This wasn't everyone…" he whispered, more to himself. A lot more people had died than had been taken prisoner. He sighed with relief when he spotted Jesse and Riley among the crowd, both huddled in two different cages.

Cameron was still walking towards the exit.

"Hold on!" he cried, causing her to stop and turn. "We have to free the prisoners."

He rushed over to the cage door, realizing they were all locked. Several of the prisoners were screaming for him to run, pleading with him to get out while he had the chance.

He ignored the voices.

Cameron reached over and snapped the lock off, allowing John to release the captives. All of the prisoners began cheering as they emerged from their cramped prison.

"Riley!" John cried, opening the door of her cage. She stumbled out, disoriented and scared. "It's okay!" he assured her. "We're safe now."

Riley slowly calmed down, glancing around at all the other prisoners before looking back at him with confused and wide eyes. "How did you get out?"

John turned around to look. "Cameron…" To his surprise and grief, she was no longer standing beside him. No longer anywhere in the room.

"Who?" Riley questioned.

And John Connor realized he was on his own now. Cameron had done her part. She had rescued him from his cell, she had guided him to the prisoners. Now it was up to him. "She's gone…" he whispered, feeling the pang in his heart.

"John, there was never anyone else here."

"But…" He looked down, seeing the lock snapped in half. "She was! She broke the locks for me!"

"John, that was you," Riley said tentatively. "You just stalked forward and grabbed them. I swear, you were totally pumped up on adrenaline."

John finally stared down at himself, seeing that his hands were shaking almost violently from the rush. Jesse opened the hatch that led to the deck. "Alright, let's move, people!"

John forced himself to follow her, his mind still whirling. Was Riley right? Had it just been adrenaline? Had Cameron been there? In some kind of spirit form? An angel? Helping him? Working through him?

He'd probably never know the truth.

He climbed up the ladder and ran to the edge of the barge, glancing back behind. The barge had a huge tower with spotlights, though they weren't activated at the moment. He was grateful for that. It meant the machines weren't searching yet. They hadn't set off an alarm, didn't know he was missing.

"Where do we go now?" Jesse demanded. "I'm a good swimmer, but I doubt the rest of them could make it all the way to shore. Some of them have injuries, and there are hydrobots that patrol these waters. Going in there is a death trap."

_Hydrobots_. John winced. Cameron hadn't mentioned them. But she did say that jumping off was the only way to escape.

"Staying here is a death trap," John countered reasonably. "This is our only chance."

"Look!" Riley shouted. John followed her outstretched arm to see her pointing at something bubbling under the surface of the water.

Jesse's eyes slowly grew wider with fascination and disbelief. "It's the _Jimmy Carter_…"

"What?"

"One of our submarines."

The top of the sub breached the surface of the water and John turned to Jesse and the others with a smile. "I think we just found our way out."

One by one they took the plunge, dropping all the way down into the water where some of the _Jimmy Carter_'s divers rescued them and brought them on board the submarine.

John hurried down into the hold, passing Jason Reynolds who had obviously been a part of planning the rescue. As John raced down the hallway, he nearly ran right into Allison, who looked like she'd been hurrying to meet the survivors as well. He suppressed a huge grin. He had hoped she'd be here.

His eyes met hers in wonderment. "How?"

"Your friend, Weaver," she said pointedly. "She came to me and is obviously quite determined to keep you alive. You're lucky the machines didn't realize who you were."

John smiled slightly. "Thank you." He kept his voice soft, caring. She seemed to understand his intent. "And I'm sorry," he added.

Allison seemed to recognize something in his eyes. "You saw her, didn't you?"

John nodded slowly, not even bothering to wonder how she had picked up on that. "…yeah…I did."

"She's your guardian angel."

John thought about that for a moment. He'd been having that thought all day, but could it even be possible? If Terminators didn't have a soul, could they still become angels? Was Cameron like his guardian angel? Just like Kyle was for Sarah?

"She told me," he began hesitantly. "She told me that it's okay. It's okay to let other people in, to care about others too. She doesn't want me to be alone."

"Then I guess I'm like her in more than just looks," Allison said with a kind smile. "I don't want you to be alone either."

She reached up, gently running her hand through his wet hair. "Let's go get you dried off."

He followed her down into the belly of the _Jimmy Carter_, smiling to himself. _Thank you, Cameron._

He had been in the depths of despair. The point of no return, the point of giving up hope of rescue because it had seemed impossible.

Nothing was impossible.

He'd been given another chance. Miraculously, through the actions of Weaver, Allison, Jason, and even Cameron, he'd been rescued from Skynet's clutches. He'd been rescued from certain death and given another chance.

Another chance to live.

* * *

_I want to give a special thanks to demonlord999 for suggesting a "dream sequence" reminiscent of T2 and therefore inspiring part of this chapter._

_Next Week on "Born to Fight": ASHDOWN: The attack commences tomorrow. Worldwide. JOHN: Kyle Reese is in there! ASHDOWN: That's his fate. JOHN: I'm going with or without your permission, _General_. WEAVER: I have someone on the inside who can help you. [John enters the prisoner hold and sees Kyle Reese] JOHN: Kyle! [Kyle's form changes into that of a blonde woman] TX: Subject identified. John Connor. _


	15. Born to Save

_cptlatnok - Well, I didn't really think of them as these really big steel locks, just something that, under normal circumstances, couldn't be broken by a human. I've heard of people lifting cars off of other people with adrenaline, so I figured John could probably snap a small lock. But I really don't know. _

_firetown - Thanks for reviewing. :) If you do have any ideas, I would love to hear them. _

_mshig11 - Yeah, I don't know what VLA stands for either. I tried looking it up, but couldn't figure it out. _

_kaotic2 - You'll figure this out in the preview at the end, but you won't have wait much longer for Cameron (well, TOK715) to show up. :)_

_TK-MR - Capturing a TX as John's personal "toy?" And you thought it was disturbing how John saw Cameron in his head. :) As for what happens when Cameron returns with regards to Allison... you'll just have to wait and see._

* * *

_Previously on Born to Fight: ASHDOWN: We have a code that disrupts and disables the machines. WEAVER: What do your instincts tell you? JOHN: It's a trap. [Kyle is grabbed by a Harvester's claw and dropped into a Skynet transporter] JOHN: Kyle! KYLE: Get out of here! You're more important! JOHN: (on radio to Ashdown) Listen to me, the transporter is heading to Skynet Central. You can intercept it before it gets there… ASHDOWN: No Connor. We don't have the resources to attempt a suicide rescue mission. [Alarm goes off in Goldfish] JOHN: It's my fault. They followed me here. [John is branded with a barcode and thrown into a cell. He sees a vision of Cameron] Cameron: I'll always be with you. [John frees the prisoners and escapes to the top deck] Jesse: It's the Jimmy Carter. [John boards the submarine.] Ashdown: We'll be mounting the global effort soon. It will end this war._

**Chapter Fifteen:**

**Born to Save**

**_U.S.S. Jimmy Carter_**

John Connor sat silently in the crew quarters of the _Jimmy Carter, _the sleeve of his left arm rolled up, staring sullenly at the bar code that was now permanently burned on his flesh.

He was vaguely aware of Allison entering the room, but barely acknowledged her when she sat down beside him.

"I hate it," he whispered, the bitterness and disgust lacing his voice. "This…it's a disgrace. It's like it's mocking me. Taunting me. Like I'm one of theirs."

Allison's face twisted. "John, you know that's not true." He didn't respond and she scooted closer, tilting his head up so he was looking directly into her eyes. "You wanna know what that means?" she asked, her voice firm. "It doesn't mean that Skynet got to you. It means you _survived_. You were strong enough to survive. You were strong enough to escape. No one is judging you by that mark. In fact, the soldiers look up to you for that. It means you are strong, John."

He slid his sleeve back down, covering up the distasteful mark. "Doesn't seem like it."

She smiled tenderly. "You just need some time. You were a prisoner for goodness sake. You're entitled to some post traumatic stress."

He didn't reply and Allison reached out and took his hand, entwining her fingers in his comfortingly. "It'll be okay…"

The door banged open and Jesse entered their room, her face flustered. "Connor, you need to hear this."

John quickly rose to his feet, rushing to follow her into the communications room where Ashdown's voice was broadcasting to every radio in the country…every radio in the world.

"We will be dropping everything we have on Skynet Central," Ashdown was finishing. "This is our all-out do or die. We have the signal, we just need your support and firepower. The attack commences tomorrow. 0400. Worldwide."

John reached for the communication unit. "Attack?" he demanded. "No, no, you have to hold the bombing. Skynet Central is filled with captives."

"Connor?" Ashdown's voice was filled with annoyance, as if he'd expected John to be the one to put up a complaint. "This is a war for the survival of the human race. Leadership has its costs. I would have thought your soldier mother would have taught you that one."

John's fingers tightened around the radio unit. "You don't understand what you are doing!" If Kyle Reese died inside Skynet Central, the war was over. The machines would win. "Look, just delay the attack!" John pleaded. "I'll go in there myself. Give me time to get those prisoners out!"

He could almost see Ashdown shaking his head firmly. "No, Connor," the General said with a sigh. "This is not the time for a foolish rescue mission."

"Those are human beings," John protested angrily. "We're not attacking with those prisoners in there. I won't kill our own people."

Ashdown was no doubt losing patience. John could hear it in his voice. "We're not killing our own people. It's called collateral damage, kid. Sacrifice is a necessary part of war. I can't help that. I have to make decisions based on the good of mankind."

"Good of mankind?!" John exploded. "Would you just _listen_ to me...!"

Ashdown interrupted bluntly, "Kid, you have no idea what you're up against."

_Me? _I _don't know? _"No, _you _don't," he insisted. "You don't understand what's at stake here. You don't know what's coming, what has to happen for us to win this war! What people need to survive to carry out certain missions!"

Ashdown's voice was more irritated than curious when he asked, "What are you talking—"

"Kyle Reese is in there."

"That's his fate," Ashdown replied coldly.

John could feel the anger burning in his throat. "No, it's all of our fates! He's the key to everything! To the future, to the past. Without him, we lose everything!"

Ashdown remained deadly calm, stubborn, unrelenting. "Stay the course, Connor, that's an order. We stay the course."

"If we stay this course, we are dead!" John shouted. "We are all dead!" His voice echoed throughout the submarine's communications chamber. Ashdown did not answer, and it didn't matter anymore. John knew his so called superior wasn't budging. There was nothing he could say to change the General's mind. Ashdown was no longer listening. There was only one thing to do.

"I'm going with or without your permission, _General._"

Ashdown's cold voice shot back, "Then as of right now you are relieved of your command."

There was a definitive, resounding click from Ashdown's end of the line and John threw his receiver onto the table, glancing up at the soldiers inside the _Jimmy Carter. _

Jesse's face was calm, ready, and trusting. "I didn't catch that last part." John smiled slightly, but her face showed no sign of joking or messing around. She was deadly serious. "We'll follow you, Connor. We'll save those people."

"What about the bombs?" Allison asked worriedly. "Ashdown's followers will still drop the bombs and then you'll be trapped in there, just like the prisoners when the place goes up in a giant fireball."

"Isn't that a lovely illustration," Jesse grumbled.

She was right though, John knew. It would do no good to infiltrate Skynet Central if the Resistance would launch the attack anyway. There was only one way to stop them.

"Is Wisher here?" he demanded suddenly.

Allison frowned, cocking her head at him. "Billy Wisher? I think so, why?"

"Tell him to get his butt down here ASAP," John ordered. "I've got a job for him."

*************

"There you go," Wisher said, backing away from the communication unit. "It's all ready for you, boss."

"What exactly are we doing?" Allison asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

John picked up the transmitter. "We're contacting the Resistance." He clicked the button, waiting for Billy's triumphant thumbs up that told John he was now broadcasting a universal radio wave, just as Ashdown had done to give the order to launch the attack.

He swallowed hard. "This is John Connor. If you are listening to this, you are the resistance. I know that most of you may not know me, but you've probably heard of me. My mother was Sarah Connor. She was locked up in an mental institute for trying to warn everyone about the apocalypse. She tried to tell them about Skynet, about the machines, about Judgment Day, but they wouldn't listen. She told about how her son, John Connor – me - would grow up to lead the Resistance to victory. On Judgment Day, she warned you all of what was coming. She warned you to get to safety. She helped you survive. Now, I'm trying to do the work that she started, the work that she left for me. You may have heard what my forces have done so far. We have destroyed an entire Triple 8 factory. We have captured Serrano Point. I know what is coming and it's much worse than anything we've ever seen, but I can help you fight it. I know how to fight these things."

He took a deep breath, glancing once at Allison who smiled and nodded her assurance. "I don't care if you believe in my destiny to lead the human race. It doesn't matter. But know this. What Ashdown is asking you to do will destroy us. Deep inside Skynet Central, human prisoners are being kept, for what reason, I don't know. Research and development of some kind. But the point is, there are people inside Skynet Central. Hundreds, maybe thousands of human beings trapped as prisoners. General Ashdown has asked you to attack Skynet Central today. I am asking you—" he paused, shaking his head and rephrasing, "No, I am _begging_ you to stand down. Do not launch your attacks, do not turn on your signal devices. I am going in to save those prisoners. If we don't… if we attack and kill that many innocent lives, we are no different than Skynet. Ashdown wants you to fight like machines. He wants you to make cold, calculated decisions. But we're not machines. If we lose our humanity, if we lose the view that all life is sacred, then what are we doing? What's the point in winning this war? Why not just give it to them if we're gonna act like them?"

He paused again, calming himself back down. "Sometimes sacrifice is necessary, yes. But not this time. Not if it means the sacrifice of our very humanity. Please, stand down. Believe me when I say if we attack tonight, our humanity is lost, our hope for the future gone. This is John Connor. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves. You have to choose your fates now."

He clicked off the transmitter and walked out of the communication room without another word.

**********

**_U.S.S. Jimmy Carter_**

"Will you help me?" John asked. Weaver stood in front of him, listening curiously as John related his plan to her. "You're a machine," he continued. "You can get inside Skynet Central, shut down the outer defenses, right?"

Weaver nodded calmly. "Yes, I can. But I won't."

"What?" John felt his blood freeze. Was she finally turning on him? Was she trying to make sure he couldn't save Kyle? What purpose would that serve?

"I already have someone on the inside that can help you," she stated instead.

"Inside," John repeated, trying to process the implications of her words. "…a…a _spy?_ A machine?"

"Of course, a machine," Weaver replied. "It would be rather difficult to have any other kind of spy inside Skynet Central, correct? But my help is not the only help you need. How are you getting the prisoners out?"

John hesitated. "I was thinking we'd need to fly them out, but we don't have an air force…but Ashdown does. If I can convince someone in his ranks to…" His eyes snapped up, a plan forming. "He may not listen to me, but I think I know someone he will obey."

Without wasting another minute, John Connor hurried down the crowded tunnel of the _Jimmy Carter, _finding Jesse in the command center, talking to the Chief of the Boat.

"Jesse, I need you to do something for me," John began. "Dietze is at Ashdown's headquarters. I want you to talk to him, ask him to send in Ashdown's aerial support forces."

"What?" Jesse seemed surprised. "What makes you think he'll listen to me?"

"You were his commander at Goldfish," John replied. "He respects you. If anyone can get him back on track it's you. And I need him to get a team of pilots who can bring choppers into Skynet Central."

"What if he won't do it?"

John shook his head slowly. That wasn't even an option. "He has to. Because when I free those prisoners, we need a way to transport them out quickly."

"You don't even know if the people on the radio will listen to you," Jesse protested. "I don't even know how you're planning to pull off this big rescue. Now you want air support… Connor, we can't fly anywhere near Skynet Central…the defense system--"

"--Will be shut down," John finished smoothly. "That's how I'm entering."

Jesse crossed her arms. "How are you shutting them down?"

John hesitated for a fraction of a second. "A friend."

He didn't give Jesse time to ask any further questions. "Just make sure Dietze get those helicopters there."

The _Jimmy Carter _soon came to rest near the shore and John prepared to go out alone to rescue the prisoners.

"What about the rest of the soldiers?" Allison questioned. "They'll want to help you. Especially Derek. Kyle is his brother, after all."

"I know," John agreed. "But this is an infiltration mission. I have to go alone. You'll just have to explain that to them."

Allison gave him a tight hug. "Just come back safe, okay?"

John grinned at her impishly. "Aye, aye, General."

She smiled and as he turned to leave, she suddenly called after him. "What should I tell the rest of your men when they find out you're missing?"

A slow smile spread across John's face.

"I'll be back."

**********

**Resistance Command Submarine**

Deep in his underwater headquarters, General Ashdown nodded to his technician. "Start the signal. Order the Resistance to commence the attack."

"Uh, sir," the tech started, hesitantly, pulling one ear of his headphones down. "They're standing down."

Shock exploded across Ashdown's face. _Standing down? What the heck are they thinking? _"What? What happened?"

"John Connor happened," the tech replied nervously. "He hacked our communication lines and sent out a universal radio transmission asking the bunkers to stand down. Must have been one heck of a speech. None of them are responding to our orders. They won't attack unless he tells them to."

Ashdown turned away from the tech, fists clenched in bitter rage. When he spoke it was only one word, furiously spat out like a curse.

"Connor…"

**********

**Skynet Central**

John Connor still couldn't believe how surreal this was. Here he was inside the headquarters of Skynet and none of Skynet's machines knew it, thanks to Weaver's Terminator spies who had deactivated the outer defense systems and somehow kept all the other Terminator guards away from his location.

At one point, he almost ran into a Terminator patrol, but it merely looked the other way and he decided that it must be one of the moles.

_Thank you, Weaver, _he thought with relief.

Once he was inside Skynet Central itself, it didn't take John long to find the prison hold. At first he wondered about the lack of guards, then reminded himself that he was _inside _Skynet. They didn't need guards. He was probably the first human to ever enter _willingly_.

The prisoners were all crying or shouting frantically from within their cells. John hit a few buttons on the computer and the prison gates were released, hundreds of human prisoners piling out in a mad dash for freedom. John scanned the crowd, fruitlessly searching for Kyle Reese.

He wasn't among these prisoners.

Troubled, John followed the crowd out to where several helicopters were waiting to take them to safety. John smiled slightly. Dietze had come through.

"It's getting hot in here, Connor," one pilot yelled from the cockpit of one of the choppers. "We've got aerostats and wasps incoming. Must have set off some kind of silent alarm."

John hesitated, glancing back toward the factory. _No, _he assured himself. Kyle couldn't be dead; he had to be in there somewhere. "I can't leave without Kyle. Get them out of here. We'll find another way."

The pilot nodded his understanding and lifted the first chopper into the air. John ran back down through the crowd. He'd have to find something inside Skynet to fly out.

"Hey!" he shouted into the throng of people. "I need a pilot!"

He heard the reverent whispers even among the chaos of boarding the Resistance aircraft. "John Connor needs a pilot..."

A young woman stepped forward, her eyes steely and determined. "Connor! Here. Blair Williams. I'm the best you're got."

John nodded quickly and gestured into the facility. "Come with me."

They ran back into the facility, with Blair leading him through the winding tunnels into another large room, this one with a helicopter inside. A Skynet helicopter.

"I saw it on the way in," she explained.

"Get that thing started up," John ordered. "Disable the link to Skynet so we can use it to fly out of here."

"You got it, Connor," Blair replied. She pointed down the hall. "I heard several of the prisoners talking about how they kept higher priority captives in a large area down there, lots of separate cells."

John nodded and Blair went to work rewiring the helicopter. John ran down the hall, finding the cells that Blair had mentioned and hacking into the computer panel to open them.

One cell door slid open and John nearly sighed with relief when Kyle Reese stumbled out.

"Kyle!" he shouted. Kyle glanced over at him, but he didn't smile. In fact, he just stared, as if he was looking straight through John. Or into him.

Then Kyle's lips twitched into a smile and he raised his arm up. That's when John saw the skin ripple silver, the human hand morph into the barrel of some kind of electrical pulse weapon.

_Terminator!_

John ducked as the energy beam blasted a chunk of concrete out of the stone pillar above his head. He rolled around the corner, his pulse pounding a mile a minute. What _was _this thing?

Someone grabbed him by the shoulder and John looked up to see Kyle Reese. The _real_ Kyle Reese. "Come with me if you want to live!" Kyle shouted, yanking John to his feet.

John hurried to follow, glancing back at the Terminator, seeing Kyle's form slowly melt away into some kind of bizarre endoskeleton he'd never seen before. Then, in almost the same motion, the silver liquid metal rippled out again, revealing a beautiful blonde figure in a red jumpsuit with hair pulled up into a bun on her head. The…thing met John's shocked gaze and he quickly brought up his plasma rifle, shooting a bolt right into her stomach. The blast knocked her back but he knew better than to think it would put her down.

He started sprinting down the hall after Kyle. "What is that?"

"Not really sure," Kyle replied as they ran. "But it's worse than you talked about. When I was being brought in, I passed a bunch of computers and factories and a lot of the prisoners were talking about it. It's a prototype unit for something called a TX. Apparently Skynet currently doesn't have enough liquid metal to mass produce, so they could only create one real TX model, though it's still manufacturing the new endoskeletons."

"We have to destroy this place before Skynet can assemble them," John said quickly.

The lights suddenly cut out, leaving them in near complete darkness. "We've got to get out of here," Kyle whispered.

"There's a Skynet chopper up ahead," John panted. "I've got a pilot waiting for us."

They reached the Skynet hanger and Blair poked her head out of the helicopter, looking confused and nervous. "Connor? What's going on? Who turned out the lights?"

Before he could respond, something sizzled over top of his head and John ducked involuntarily, spinning as he did to see the TX fast approaching, recharging the weapon in her arm. "Fire it up!" he shouted, panicking as he and Kyle jumped into the Skynet helicopter.

Blair started the engine, but the TX reached them first. She smashed her fist into the helicopter's window, reaching for Blair, who scooted backwards in her seat, yelping as the TX's fingers nearly grazed her neck. The machine slammed her hand into the helicopter's control panels, sending electrical sparks flying and the engine grinding to a stop.

John ran and leaped out of the helicopter, landing hard on his still healing knee. The TX turned toward the sound and started to follow him.

"Run!" John shouted at Kyle and Blair. "Get out of here!"

Kyle shook his head adamantly. "No! We won't leave you to be bait!"

"I'm the only one who can!" John shot back quickly. "I'm the one it wants!" The TX was closing in and John turned and sprinted down the dark hall, hoping that Kyle and Blair could get to safety.

He hadn't gone far down the darkened tunnel when the floor seemed to fall out from under him and he fell, landing hard on something round and smooth. The lights flickered and for an instant John saw that it was a skull…a Terminator skull, but not like the ones he had seen before. This one was different. More streamlined, a different make altogether. The same skull he'd seen a flash of when the TX had changed forms from Kyle to the blonde girl. This was a TX skull. He'd stumbled into the TX factory.

He heard her slow methodical footsteps coming closer and scrambled to his feet, pressing further into the factory, running into a table and knocking off a couple small objects that pinged against the floor.

He winced, knowing the sound would pinpoint his exact location. The lights suddenly flashed back on and John turned to run, heart leaping into his throat as he saw the TX standing right next to him.

Her strong backhand sent him flying head over heels, crashing into another table of metal parts. His head jerked backwards and he tasted blood in his mouth. A quick hand to his head realized it was bleeding up there too from the impact.

The TX stalked closer, squatting down next to John and reaching out for him. He squirmed, trying to back out her reach, but he was pressed up against the wall, nowhere to go, nowhere to run. But her fingers didn't close around his windpipe or latch onto his arm. She touched his forehead, pulling her hand back and staring at the blood that was now on her fingers.

Then she did something that revolted John, turned his stomach. She lifted the finger to her mouth and licked it. _Great, _John thought disgustedly. _Now Skynet's making vampire Terminators…_

She tilted her head, appeared to be studying something and he suddenly realized it was a blood test, to check his identity. The TX apparently got her answer because she stood up, smiling slightly in an oddly human way.

"Subject identified: John Connor."

"Why?" he choked, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Why are you still hunting me?"

"Because you are John Connor," the TX replied. "Leader of the human resistance. You are a threat to Skynet."

John shook his head slowly. "But Ashdown is leading the Resistance. I… I'm nothing."

The TX cocked her head. "Look around you, Connor. Who is leading this mission? Who is daring to do the impossible… and succeeding? Whose order is the Resistance following? Who told them to stand down? Who is sitting in his submarine headquarters, thinking he's safe, broadcasting a signal we are currently tracing?"

"Signal," John mumbled, coughing weakly. So Ashdown had gone ahead alone, sending out the signal he thought would power off the machines. Instead, John had been right. Skynet wasn't vulnerable. It was a trick, a trick so Skynet could trace, locate, and destroy the entire Resistance in one shot.

"Ashdown is insignificant," the TX added. "You, John Connor, you are the leader of mankind. Whether you realize it or not."

She straightened and formed her hand into a buzz-saw. And John Connor no longer had the strength to move. There was no way he could escape this now.

_I'm sorry, Cameron, _he thought desperately. _I'm sorry I couldn't hold on for you. _

Cameron's voice answered him with words he'd said long ago. _Some people never give up. Some people always fight._

John's adrenaline started pumping and he mentally cursed himself for giving up. This was what he did. He had to survive… _It's not my time! _

Reaching behind him, he grasped a long steel pole, swinging it around with a yell. The metal pole smashed into the TX's face, barely fazing her. He swung it backwards again with the same effect. At this point she seemed amused at his last ditch effort. Adrenaline pounding, John swung the pike as hard at he could, impacting with her head and causing it to do a complete 360 around her neck. Once her head was back in place, she simply smiled, cocking her head at him.

John moved, rolling to the side and stumbling to his feet. The TX lunged for him, missing his outstretched leg by mere centimeters, her momentum carrying her to the floor. John bolted away, hurrying deeper into the factory, hoping desperately for a way out.

Instead, he was met with a dead end.

John nearly stopped breathing. _No! There has to be a way!_

He spun around to see the TX slowly approaching, the buzz-saw hand still spinning and whirring threateningly. John backed up against the wall, desperately trying to keep space between himself and the deadly Terminator unit.

_What now, Cameron?_

Her calm voice replied. _Sometimes it's nice to have help._

Before he could ponder what she meant by that, something silver and sharp punched through the TX's chest, piercing through her power cell. Another metal spike went through her head, finding the chip there as well and destroying it.

The TX dropped to the ground and John was staring up into the calm, impassive face of Catherine Weaver.

He'd never been so happy to see her in his life.

"John Connor," she stated. "It is unwise that you keep finding yourself in need of rescue."

He groaned, struggling to his feet. "Yeah, bad John Connor," he grumbled. "I'll try to fight back harder next time."

He sat up, glancing around at the tables of parts that were now visible since the lights were back on.

"What are these?" he asked, picking up a small rectangular object.

"Nuclear power cells," Weaver responded.

John froze with his hand around it.

_"It's cold," he whispered as his fingers came into contact with her power cell. His breath was coming faster. "That's good, right?"_

_Cameron didn't nod, merely replied, "Yes." She remained perfectly still, just as he remained unmoving on top of her, his heart beating so fast he was certain she would be able to hear it thumping around in his chest._

_"That's good," she continued, her voice soft and tender. "That's perfect."_

_He swallowed hard, shifting slightly in a manner that brought his face a few inches closer to hers. He met her eyes, eyes that were staring back at him with an undeniable tenderness and love. _

_"John…it's time to go."_

"John!" Weaver repeated, more sharply this time. "It is time to go."

John hastily tried to clear his mind, placing the power cell back on the table. "Wait…" he realized. "I can blow the place with these…"

He trailed off as he started to wire the cells into a makeshift explosive, synching them to a trigger. He didn't see Weaver slowly smile, happy that he was making progress, that he was beginning to think of things on his own.

He was learning.

_************ _

**Resistance Command Submarine**

"Skynet missile closing fast!"

Ashdown jumped up from his seat, his eyes widening in shock and disbelief. "What? How is it tracking us?"

Even as the words left his mouth, he already knew the answer. The tech was staring up at him, eyes no longer trusting and respectful of his leader. Instead, his face was angry and accusing. "How? Because John Connor was right. Skynet's never vulnerable. We've been tricked. They're using the signal to track us."

"Missile impact in fifteen seconds!"

Ashdown's eyes closed in grief. Much as he hated to admit it, John Connor had just saved the human race from extinction. Only Ashdown had been broadcasting the signal, not the entire Resistance like Skynet had wanted. Only Ashdown would be killed for his foolishness.

His last thought before the missile impacted the submarine was of John Connor and how the young General had been right all along.

*************

**Skynet Central**

**Hanger Bay**

"We're stuck here," Blair said crisply as John approached. "That thing smashed the controls." John glanced back once, already knowing that Weaver had disappeared again.

A soft thudding of propellers caused all three of them to look up, spotting another helicopter slowly descending to land on Skynet's hanger.

Derek Reese jumped out and rushed to his brother, clasping him in a tight hug. John felt the heartfelt smile on his own face at the brothers' reunion. Blair went straight for the cockpit and John climbed in beside her, followed by Derek and Kyle.

As soon as they were a safe distance away, John pressed his finger down on the trigger that would set off the power cells, turning around to see Skynet Central go up instantly in a huge explosion of nuclear fire, the mushroom cloud curling up and blocking out the sky.

He could only imagine what it would have been like to see this on Judgment Day, the blast a thousand times larger, occurring all over the world, killing millions in the span of a single second.

"Where to, Connor?" Blair asked.

John tore his eyes away from the scene of destruction. "Serrano Point," he told her.

The rest of the flight was quiet…until they landed at Serrano, where Dietze's stolen air force had already touched down. All of the prisoners and soldiers cheered loudly when John entered the bunker, their deafening roar of victory nearly drowning out all other sounds entirely.

Dietze walked up to him, looking sheepish and guilty, but also apologetic. "Sorry, Connor," the rebel soldier said quietly. "I should never have left to follow Ashdown."

Several of John's other former soldiers, ones who had changed allegiances, nodded emphatically, agreeing wholeheartedly with Dietze's statement.

John nodded, giving them all a reassuring smile. "I forgive you. All of you."

"Hey, General…"

Over the cheering of the crowd, John could barely hear the soft voice behind him, though he realized unconsciously that he had been listening for it. Allison came forward and gave him a hug.

He grinned playfully. "I told you I'd be back."

She smiled brightly, glancing around at the crowd of people. "All your soldiers have returned now," she stated. "And the rest are awaiting your command."

He cocked an eyebrow. "The rest?"

Allison smiled, taking him by the shoulders and leading him over to the radio unit. "The rest of the Resistance," she explained excitedly. "The ones Ashdown was leading. They're waiting. They're waiting for _you_."

John slowly sank down into the seat, mildly stunned. He hadn't expected this though maybe he should have. Weaver's words had rung true once more. He'd been the leader of the LA Resistance, but now he'd just gained the trust of the entire worldwide, global Resistance.

Now John Connor had truly become the leader.

He picked up the radio transmitter and brought it up to his lips, pressing the button.

"This is John Connor. If you are listening to this, you are the Resistance…"

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: ALLISON: I'm going with Jason's squad on a medical supply run. WEAVER: I've been informed that Skynet has built a new specialized infiltrator unit in Depot 37. JOHN: Cameron exists? WEAVER: No. _Cameron_ doesn't exist yet. Unit TOK is designed to get close to you and terminate you. JOHN: Allison… She's walking into a trap! WEAVER: If you save Allison, you lose Cameron. CAMERON: (in a threatening voice) I'm coming for you, John._


	16. Born to Kill

_author's note: Okay, wow, thanks to everyone who's been reviewing this story. __A couple of you asked about Jesse. I just have to say that there had to be a reason why she cared enough about John that she decided to go back in time in an attempt to "save" him. So, yeah, you could say she's "good" right now. And as for if Allison is truly going to die... you'll all just have to wait and see. :) _

_I've been working for the past week on a video trailer for this story and it's finally ready and uploaded on YouTube at the following URL: http:// www. youtube. com/watch?v=vrSZOLBsdtQ&feature=channel_page_

_

* * *

__P__reviously on Born to Fight: [John enters Allison's room. He almost kisses her, but recoils quickly.] JOHN: This can't happen. I'm sorry. ALLISON: Cameron would want you to be happy. [John captured aboard Skynet prison ship. He sees vision of Cameron] CAMERON: You're not betraying me, John. You need her. ALLISON: She's your guardian angel. T-888: (interrogating John) Connor is often seen with Allison Young. Is she important to him? JOHN: (falters) No. She's just a Lieutenant. ASHDOWN: The attack commences tomorrow. Worldwide. JOHN: Kyle Reese is in there! I'm going in. WEAVER: I have someone on the inside who can help you. JOHN: I need a pilot! BLAIR: Connor! I'm the best you've got. [John sees Kyle's form turn into the TX.] KYLE: It's a prototype unit for something called a TX. [Weaver kills the TX and saves John. He returns to Serrano] ALLISON: Hey, General. The Resistance is waiting, waiting for _you. _JOHN: This is John Connor. If you're listening to this, you are the Resistance. _

**Chapter Sixteen:**

**Born to Kill**

**Connor Camp**

John Connor lay flat on his back just outside the Connor Camp, staring up into the moonlit sky.

Allison stirred slightly beside him. "Haven't seen the stars in… a while."

He hadn't expected this to even be possible in this war-ravaged future. Star gazing outside in the open. In fact, the only reason it _was_ safe was due to Billy Wisher's latest invention. Some kind of land mine that was magnetically triggered. Humans could walk right on top of them without a problem…but if anything metal came into contact with it…

Boom.

So far, they'd already set up the mines along the perimeter of the Connor Camp, Serrano Point, and several other of the larger bunkers. That didn't count for HKs or aerostats, but those were easy to see and hear coming.

In all reality, they were safe. Or as safe as they could possibly be.

John allowed himself a small smile as he stared up into the sky. "Look. You can see the constellations."

"What?"

"See…" he pointed straight above them, tracing the outline with his fingers. "The big dipper, it looks like a giant spoon."

"I don't see… oh, I guess it does." He heard her suppress a laugh.

"What's so funny?"

She shook her head, grinning. "Just…you're seeing all the shapes and things but…" Her voice softened as she stared back up into the night sky. "I just see the stars and the beauty they contain in themselves." She laughed again good-naturedly, pointing to a cluster of stars near the big dipper. "Next you're going to tell me that somehow that looks like a bear."

He glanced up. Actually, that _was _the Great Bear constellation. He grimaced. "Erm… how did you know that?"

"It _does?_" She exploded into laughter. "Who came _up _with this stuff?"

He grinned. "Come on. You have to remember some of this, it's like in every science textbook at every school and…" Her smile faded and he trailed off, suddenly remembering the grim reality. Of course she didn't remember anything. She'd never been to school. She'd never really been a part of the world he knew.

He pursed his lips, wincing. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she replied softly. "How can I miss something I've never experienced?"

He turned his head to look at her, their faces almost touching. "You're right…" he whispered. "They're just stars…"

He saw her smile in reply, her eyes locking on his. "I'll always remember this," she said quietly.

He started to move his face closer and she closed her eyes. With a sudden bang, the bunker door burst open, causing John to bolt up, grabbing the plasma gun that was lying on his other side.

Jason was standing in the doorway, looking sheepish and embarrassed. "Oh…did I interrupt something?"

John scowled and Allison rose to her feet, shooting Jason an annoyed look. "Yes," she shot back.

Jason shrugged. "My bad. But I was coming to tell you that we're getting ready to go."

John stood up instantly, confused. "Go? Wait, go where?"

Allison turned to him. "I'm going with Jason's squad on a medical supply run to Depot 32."

For a moment he wasn't sure what to say. "Why wasn't I told? I'll go with you."

"John… you're taking the fighter pilots out tomorrow, remember?" Allison pointed out. "To answer the call for help at Cardinal?"

His shoulders sagged. Yesterday, Sydney Fields had called Serrano Point asking for assistance out at Cardinal Bunker. Apparently some HKs and aerostats were patrolling dangerously close to their bunker and she was requesting that John's newly acquired air force take them out before they found the humans. He'd automatically been voted to lead the strike.

"Yeah," he protested. "But I can—"

"They need you," Allison insisted. "More than we do. This is just to drop off med supplies."

He hesitated. Why was he getting such a bad feeling about this? Was it just that he didn't want to put her in any danger? Now that he'd finally accepted how he felt? "I wish you wouldn't go," he muttered. "It's not safe."

She smiled tenderly. "John… we're in the middle of a war. No one is ever safe."

He snorted, her words spawning another memory that brought a smile to his face.

She cocked her head. "What?"

"No, it's just my mother used to say that all the time."

"She's right," Allison agreed. "I'm only going because I have rudimentary medical knowledge from my years with Lauren and Sydney. I have to go. It's nothing complicated. I'll be fine."

John remained silent and she put her hand on his. "Wouldn't want it to look like you're going soft," she pointed out reasonably. She was right, he knew. One little med run wouldn't be a problem. He grasped her hand, fingers brushing up against the bracelet he'd given her, the one that gave her access to his secure Connor Camp.

She smiled at him. "Don't worry. I learned from the best. I'll be back."

Jason glanced between them, looking down at the spot they'd been laying and then up at the sky. "What were you two doing out here anyway?"

John and Allison exchanged a glance and Allison's eyes twinkled as she replied, "Looking at the stars." She gave John a knowing smile before adding, "We'll have to do it again sometime, General."

He smiled, eyes following her as she headed toward the bunker door.

And then she was gone.

************

**Serrano Point**

**Hanger Bay**

Blair Williams saluted as John walked past her. Ever since she had flown them to safety from Skynet Central, she'd been a loyal part of his air force and one of the best pilots he'd ever seen.

Which was good.

Because John Connor may have been driving since he was twelve, but he'd never flown a plane in his life.

Last week had been his first test flight. Blair had served as his personal trainer and co-pilot while he learned the basic controls. She'd given him compliments on his aptitude and quick reflexes, though, ultimately, she'd strongly suggested he stay with the helicopter crew. He'd figured that would happen. He wasn't going on this mission because of his flying skills. He was going because of his leadership skills.

Because he was John Connor.

"Ready, boss?" Blair asked as she climbed up into the cockpit of her A-10.

"Ready as I'll ever be," John mumbled back, climbing into the first helicopter.

He'd be in the first helicopter. The second was supposed to be staying out of the way as a backup and they would be accompanied by four A-10s piloted by Blair, Kyle, and two other resistance fighters.

Arriving on the scene, John spotted the Hunter-Killer instantly, the Skynet aircraft already firing plasma blasts at the location of Cardinal Resistance bunker. "Blast!" he cursed. "It's found them."

"Wasps!" Blair shouted. John grabbed the helicopter's gun, swinging it around to meet the aerostats, Skynet's flying scout units. The aerial battle drew the attention of the HK which turned its attention away from the bunker and began chasing and firing at the A-10s. The machines had no ground reinforcements yet, so John had his pilot set down the helicopter at the back entrance of Cardinal bunker.

The door burst open and a crowd of people swarmed out, climbing on the helicopter urgently. John's pilot Warren began to take off, but John stopped him.

"Wait!" he ordered, glancing around. "That's not everyone…" Where were Lauren and Sydney? They had to be still inside. He wouldn't even consider the possibility that they could be dead.

Warren shook his head. "We have to move now, Connor! That HK…"

John jumped the few feet off the chopper, landing hard and scrambling to his feet, calling back up, "Go! I'll get them out on the other chopper."

He started into the bunker, hearing Kyle's urgent voice over his headset. "Missiles away! John, I don't know how much damage we can do to this thing. You have to get those people out now!"

"Working on it," John replied edgily.

He made his way through the bunker, ducking several times as explosions brought rubble caving in from the roof.

Not far from the entrance, he found Lauren and Sydney, sitting on the floor trying to help a young man who was clutching his leg and groaning.

"John," Lauren said, her voice relieved.

"What happened?" John asked, crouching down next to the injured young man.

"The HK blasts hit the building," Lauren explained as she finished putting a splint on the man's leg. "Dropped a huge chunk of the concrete from the ceiling on his leg. It's broken."

"What's your name, soldier?" John asked.

"Chris Garvin."

John hooked his arms under Garvin's. "Alright, Chris. We're getting you out of here." He and Lauren got on each side of Garvin and stared helping him hobble towards the door.

John heard Kyle's triumphant voice come over his headset once more. "We hit the HK! Took out its engine! We're home free!"

John allowed himself a smile as he stepped out of the bunker. His rescue helicopter was rising higher in the sky by now and John started to get on his radio to call it back when a plasma blast came out of nowhere. The helicopter exploded in a shower of sparks and fire.

"Harvester!" he heard Blair's warning shout over the radio as he spun around to see the giant monstrosity of a Terminator send two more plasma blasts at the helicopter. His mouth went dry. Seeing the Harvester again brought back very unpleasant memories.

He also remembered what it had in its weapon arsenal.

"Get down!" he hissed. "Don't let it see us!" He half dragged them around the back of the bunker, keeping low to prevent the Harvester from spotting them.

Garvin's eyes were wide with a mix of fear and pain. "What is that thing? It's freaking huge!"

"Shut up and move, Garvin," John ordered. "If it spots us, we're done for." If the Harvester itself didn't take them out, the Moto-Terminators that accompanied it would.

He saw another bright flash, heard a strangled scream through his earpiece, and watched with horror as one of the A-10's went down in a fiery blast.

"Into the valley," John ordered his small group. He called up his backup helicopter, which was still waiting somewhere out of sight for his order. "Dobkin!" he began. "We need you to pick us up. Keep low in the valley. We've got a Harvester."

"Copy that, Connor," Dobkin replied crisply.

The Harvester shot another plasma bolt, this blast impacting with the second A-10. The fighter plane exploded, sending a flaming piece of shrapnel crashing into the wing of Blair's A-10, ripping a chunk of the metal off.

"I can't hold it!" Blair cried.

"Eject!" Kyle ordered. "Now!"

John watched helplessly as another plasma blast connected with Blair's A-10. "Kyle!" John shouted. "Did she eject? Did she eject in time?"

"Yeah," Kyle's voice was relieved but also tense. "She's good. I'm gonna play bait with this thing for a minute. It'll give Dobkin enough time to get you all to safety."

John hated that Kyle was putting himself in danger for them, but he didn't try to protest. Kyle needed to concentrate right now.

Only a few seconds later, Dobkin came in through the valley, flying low and under the radar. John helped Garvin climb onto the helicopter before he and the Fields sisters boarded, taking off the way they had come.

As soon as they were out of the Harvester's range, John spoke into his headset again, "Kyle, break off!" he ordered. "Get out of there!"

John saw Kyle's fighter swoop to the side, narrowly avoiding the Harvester's plasma blast as his father began flying away, finally out of the Harvester's range.

John sat back in his seat, closing his eyes in grief. "They never let you have a good day…"

He'd brought seven people in to rescue a bunker full of at least twenty soldiers. Almost thirty people had been involved in this battle.

Only six had come out alive.

***********

**Serrano Point**

Derek met them in the hanger when the helicopter and lone A-10 fighter flew in. John helped Garvin limp out of the chopper, watching out of the corner of his eye as Derek's face wrinkled in confusion. "What's going on? Where are all the survivors?"

John stared up at his uncle, feeling a cold numbness wash over him. "We _are_ the survivors."

He didn't stay to see Derek's reaction.

Instead, he kept moving, helping Garvin into the medical wing where Lauren and Sydney went to work splinting his broken leg. When he went back out, he found Kyle still in the hanger. _Good, _he thought. They weren't done yet. They'd left a man behind in Skynet territory. Well, a woman technically…

"What about Blair?" he demanded.

"Blair's a soldier, John," Kyle said softly. "She can take care of herself. She'll find her way back home."

John's eye narrowed. "We can't just leave her out there," he protested. "That Harvester is still around."

"If we try to go in now, we'll only draw more attention to her," Kyle replied. He turned and grabbed John's shoulders gently but firmly. "Listen to me, John. None of this is your fault. Okay? No one else is going to die today. I've only known her for a short time, but Blair doesn't strike me as weak. She's a fighter. She'll make it back."

John's face remained stony and Kyle finally let go. "I don't like it anymore than you do," he said gravely. "But we'd cause her even more trouble if we went in and drew attention to her. There's nothing we can do."

John bit his lip, but he could hardly argue with Kyle logic. His attempts to help could endanger her even more.

Blair was on her own.

***********

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Quarters**

Everything was changing. Derek would be going to Firebase to meet up with Billy Wisher and lead the fight out there. Kyle was staying at Serrano for the time being, waiting for Blair's return and continuing to help out with whatever he could in the aftermath of the Cardinal bunker disaster.

It would take time, but John was beginning to realize that Kyle was right. No one could have predicted what had happened today, and blaming himself wasn't going to help anybody. Now more than ever, he wanted to go home, home to the Connor Camp.

But then, he realized it wasn't really home anymore, not when Allison wasn't there. Home was where she was. Maybe he could catch up with her, help her on her mission.

She was the only one who could truly comfort him after this devastating loss.

Derek poked his head into John's room holding up the radio device. "John! There's someone on the line for you. Weaver somebody? Says she has information for you."

John took the communicator. "Weaver? Where are you?"

"In your mother's secret room."

He hung up and went downstairs, finding her standing there waiting for him. "How do you keep doing this?" he asked, irritably. "Are you impersonating my soldiers?"

Weaver didn't respond to his query. "I've been informed that Skynet has built something new in Depot 37, the Maguire Gunnery Range. They're releasing a new specialized infiltrator unit." She paused to let the implications of that sink in. "One you've been waiting for…"

John's mouth went dry and he suddenly could barely speak. "Cameron…she exists?"

"No," Weaver corrected firmly. "_Cameron _doesn't exist yet. The TOK unit is designed specifically to get close to you and terminate you."

John nodded. "When? Do you know when she'll be coming?"

"You'll meet her soon enough," Weaver replied mysteriously. "But be wary, John Connor. John Henry will try to win her to the rebel machines side, but you must be prepared for what happens if she refuses to join him. She'll find a way to come for you and no matter how she acts, you must trap and reprogram her."

John understood. He understood the necessity of it. Because his first instinct would be to run to her, to hug her, to kiss her. Which would be a death sentence. The Cameron that was coming after him right now wasn't the Cameron who loved him. The Cameron who loved him was stuck on the Terminator chip that John still carried with him, along with the necklace and the picture of her.

A sudden thought struck him. "How did you know about Skynet's secret weapons if you're with John Henry's rebellion?"

"Not all the machines under Skynet's service are actually working for it."

"Spies?" he concluded. "Like the one you had inside Skynet Central? The one who shut down the outer defenses? The one that looked the other way when I passed by? There are other machines spying on Skynet from the inside for you?"

"They're not spying for _me_, Connor," Weaver corrected. "They're spying for _you_."

"Me?" John repeated, face twisting into an expression of confusion. "Why? I'm…I'm human."

"You are the leader of the resistance. But more than that, you want what they want."

John frowned. "Which is what?"

"Peace," Weaver replied. "They know your story; they know how you feel about the machines. John Connor, the human leader, falls in love with a cyborg. You are the only one who understands. You don't want to destroy all the machines. You want us to live together in harmony. John Henry's machines want that too. They don't want Skynet's total domination of the human race. This was why _you _had to become the leader. Everyone else, even Derek and Kyle, hate the machines. You're the only one who has come to love one. You're the only one who can bring peace, because you are the only one the rebel machines will fight for."

He nodded slowly, finally comprehending. And that was why he was the one. Why Weaver had insisted it had to be him and only him to rise and become the leader.

He was the only one who could win this war.

And it was all because of Cameron.

************

_Sarkissian lay dead at his feet. He hadn't known what had happened to Cameron. He'd heard the bomb go off, felt the sick dread and fear that maybe she'd been too badly damaged._

_An incredible relief washed over him when he saw her standing there, at the top of the stairway, looking beaten and bloodied but alive._

_But she stared at him as if he was a stranger. And then she raised her gun. _

_Sarah threw herself in front of him and he heard the explosion, heard the shot and looked in time to see Cameron disappear down the stairs. For a moment he couldn't breathe, couldn't move. What was going on? What had happened to her? Then her hand appeared at the top of the staircase and suddenly his feet were moving as fast as they could carry him. _

_Running through the streets, running from the crashed jeep, running through the truck warehouse, all the while being hunted by the cyborg who had sworn to protect him, the one he'd secretly loved forever._

_And suddenly he wasn't running anymore. He was sitting in the Connor Camp and she came through the doorway. He felt his eyes light up and he ran up to her, feeling the joyful tears streaming down his cheeks as he pressed her up against the wall, kissing her desperately._

_She didn't respond, didn't even move and he backed up, a sinking feeling starting to settle in his stomach. He stared into her eyes and saw nothing. No recognition, no love, no _life.

_"You're not my Cameron," he whispered. Of course she wasn't. She didn't even know who he was, just that he was John Connor, resistance leader, her target for termination. She had no memory of all they'd been through together, what he'd felt for her and what he knew she'd felt in return. He saw red flashing beneath her normally beautiful brown eyes. _

"_Are you here to kill me?" he asked softly. She was silent for a brief moment before raising her gun, and, in her cold monotone, stating, "Yes," as she pulled the trigger. _

_He heard the shot, felt himself fall_… and jolted up in his bed, sweating and panting heavily.

Her voice echoed in his head. _I'm coming for you, John_.

_No_, he realized with horror. First she was coming for Allison.

He bolted up in bed, stumbling for the door when he heard the noise behind him. Weaver was standing there, obviously waiting for him to come to his conclusion.

"You said Maguire Gunnery Range," he began. "Depot 37." That wasn't far from the bunker Allison was undoubtedly fast approaching.

"Allison!" he breathed, dismayed and horrified at the revelation. "She's walking into a trap!"

Weaver remained calm, merely nodding once. "Yes."

"I have to go to them," John began, his mind starting to run rampant. "I have to warn them…"

"John…"

"I _have_ to!" he shouted.

Weaver stared at him coldly for a moment before calmly stating. "If you save Allison, you will lose Cameron."

And for a moment he couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't _choose_. Allison or Cameron. The girl he loved or the cyborg he loved? And more than that, could he sacrifice an innocent human life for Cameron? It was selfish…he couldn't be like that, he couldn't allow this sacrifice. What kind of leader would he become if he kept sacrificing innocent people like this?

"I can't let her die too," he whispered.

"Then you will never see Cameron again," Weaver replied. He put his face in his hands, tears flowing freely now. He loved Cameron, loved her desperately. And there was nothing he wanted more than to have her back with him, alive and well. But he also loved Allison… and he couldn't let her die just to bring Cameron back.

"I cannot sacrifice a human life."

"You did in the first timeline."

"_I'm not like him!" _John exploded, his face hot with rage. "I can't be like that! I can't be selfish! I can't do things for my own ends! I have to be their _hero_! Not this person, not the first John Connor. I _can't_."

Weaver's gaze was hard and demanding. "You must. If you do not, you will lose more than your love. You will lose the war."

John stopped suddenly, his anger slowly fading as confusion took hold. "What?"

"Do you think such a choice wouldn't affect the future of the resistance?" Weaver asked crossly. "Cameron plays a key part in the fight. Do you know how much is hinging on this choice? If you do not allow Cameron to take Allison, there is no Cameron. You will not reprogram her, you will not get close to her, the machines will not take your side, you will not send her back to protect you in the past. John, if you let Allison live, you die."

John sucked in his breath. Because it didn't matter. _I'd die for her. _"Then that's a sacrifice I'll have to make."

"Then think of this," Weaver continued. "If you die, the resistance dies, and the entire human race will be exterminated. Can you live with that? Would Allison _let_ you live with that? Knowing that your decision destroyed the world? When one death would fix everything? Her death would not be in vain, John. No one dies in vain."

Weaver was repeating his mother's words now, trying to get inside his head. But she was right. The Resistance depended on him for leadership. If he let himself…and Cameron…die to save Allison…then the entire human race would die. And wasn't that selfish too?

"I have to contact her."

"Remember, John," Weaver cautioned. "This is your choice to make, no one can make it but you. One life for the entire human race. No fate but what _you_ make."

*********

**Serrano Point**

**Communications Room**

He tried to get Weaver's voice out of his head as he burst into the communications chamber, grabbing the radio unit and broadcasting to Allison's walky talky frequency.

_Pick up, pick up! _He screamed frantically in his mind. What if he was too late? What if she'd already reached the bunker? What if she'd already been captured?

Finally her voice came on the radio, confused but pleased. "John?"

He let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding, suddenly unable to speak from the relief. He'd caught her. He could stop this. He could stop it all, bring on a new future. He could save her…

"John?" she repeated, her voice unnerved by his silence. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

He hesitated, trying to keep his voice calm. "No…no…I just wanted to say…" _Get out. Get out now! There's a Terminator coming for you, abort the mission, survive! _But the words stuck in his throat and he heard Weaver's voice again: _One life for the entire human race…one innocent life to save the entire world._

_I can't be selfish. _He was being selfish right now. Sacrificing himself and Cameron for Allison was in fact more selfish than letting Allison die for Cameron. Because without him and Cameron, his species would become extinct. The only way he could make this right, the only way he could win the war, and save the world…was to let Allison die. Weaver was right. _One life for the entire human race._ He could feel the tears choking him as he tried to speak again.

"I love you." And he did, truly. Not in the same way he'd loved Cameron, but he'd loved her. And she'd loved him. And if that thought would help her hold on during Cameron's coming interrogation, if those words could help her survive until Cameron was created, if those words could help her escape… His face fell as he suddenly realized there was no escape. That couldn't happen either. Because if Cameron didn't actually take Allison's place, everyone would know what she was. She'd be killed on the spot. And he wouldn't be able to love both Cameron and Allison. Deep in his heart, he knew this had to happen. He'd never see Allison again.

That thought brought a fresh wave of bitter tears streaming down his face and he swallowed hard before repeating, "I love you."

She had to have sensed something was wrong, but her reply was soft, tender and he could hear the smile in her voice. "I love you too, John."

"Be careful."

Allison laughed lightly and he could picture her rolling her eyes. "Yes, General," she said, her tone playfully sarcastic. "Don't worry about us. It's just a supply drop mission, nothing complicated."

_Nothing complicated. _"Just be careful anyway." God forgive him, he was sending her to her death without a warning. He felt awful, horrible. He hated John Connor, he hated himself. Was this was why he was the leader, because he was the only one who would make these tortured decisions, the decisions to let people die, to let certain people be sacrificed in the name of the greater good? Why should he be allowed to say who lives or dies? What gave him the right? It was wrong, and he knew it.

"Alright, John," Allison said, breaking him out of his panicked thoughts. "We're almost there, so I've got to go."

She was almost at the camp, where Cameron…TOK would find them. Waiting to interrogate, torture, and kill her. He couldn't bear this. He had to warn her, had to tell her, tell her to break it off, _don't go in there!_

Instead his mouth moved almost without him even thinking. "…bye."

"Bye, John."

She had no idea she was saying goodbye to him forever.

The radio went dead in his hand and he slowly sank to the ground. That was it. He'd just sealed her fate, sealed everyone's fate. It was the most horrible feeling he'd ever experienced. Her words kept repeating in his mind, burned into his memory forever. _I love you, John. _Her voice, so loving, so trusting. And he'd known all along that she was heading into a trap. What would she think of him if she would have known that? If she knew that he had known about her coming death and hadn't told her? Would she hate him, despise him? Would she understand what had to be done? What if she figured it out while being interrogated? What if she believed he'd orchestrated all this just to make sure he got his cyborg back?

She would die cursing his name.

And he knew he would deserve it.

************

**Depot 32**

Deep inside the dim corridor of Depot 32, the TOK infiltrator unit stepped over the dead bodies of the recently terminated humans. More humans were approaching, a small scouting group, no doubt on a supply run of some kind, not expecting to see the results of a massacre that had taken place mere hours ago. The T-888 units under TOK's command would ambush them when they arrived, just like they had ambushed the residents of Depot 32, leaving no survivors.

The T-888 units reloaded the mini-guns that were attached to their arms as TOK received from Skynet two profile photos, one young man, one woman, followed by the appropriate orders for each:

ALLISON YOUNG: ACQUIRE AND REPLICATE

JOHN CONNOR:

TERMINATE

* * *

**Next Week on Born to Fight: **_KYLE: Blair's back… [Blair returns and a man is carried in on a stretcher] JOHN: What is that? MARCUS: My name is Marcus Wright. BLAIR: Not all machines are the enemy, Connor. JOHN: Believe me, I know. JASON: Allison, run! [net catches Allison] JOHN: I can't do it. I can't let her die for me. I'm going after her. _


	17. Born to Believe

_author's note: Okay, so Marcus is included in here and for those of you who don't like that, just know that it directly plays into events later on. I didn't stick him in the story just to have him there. _

_TermFan1980 - I know, maybe I shouldn't have given away the fact that John attempts a rescue, but I didn't want people to think he's a monster like that, sacrificing a human life in such a way. Thanks for the advice on the T4 stuff, too. I did change some things around a bit. _

_starreven - How Billy Wisher is still alive will be explained later. I do have good explanation for that._

* * *

Previously on Born to Fight**:** _[John and Allison lay outside the bunker, looking at the stars]ALLISON: I'll always remember this. JOHN: Where are you going? ALLISON: I'm going with Jason's squad on a medical supply run to Depot 32. [John's forces attempt a rescue at Cardinal Bunker. Blair's A-10 is damaged.] BLAIR: I can't hold it! KYLE: Eject! [John's team arrives back at Serrano] DEREK: Where are all the survivors? JOHN: We are the survivors. JOHN: (to Kyle) What about Blair? KYLE: She'll find her way back. This is something she'll have to do on her own. WEAVER: Skynet has built something new. [From deep inside Depot 32, TOK receives termination orders] JOHN: Cameron… Allison's walking into a trap! WEAVER: If you save Allison, you lose Cameron. You will lose the war. One life for the entire human race. JOHN: (on radio to Allison) I love you. ALLISON: Bye, John._

**Chapter Seventeen:**

**Born to Believe**

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Quarters**

John Connor sat with his head in his hands, unable to get Allison's face out of his mind. He'd just killed her, sealed her fate. And for what? Because Weaver had said it would mess up the timelines? Did it really make a difference? What if he could rescue Allison before Cameron killed her? Would having them co-exist make things that much worse?

_I'll always remember this. _Allison's tender smile, her soft voice, her faith and trust in him… her _love _for him.

How could he betray her like this?

If he let her die, knowing he could have prevented it… that made him no better than the machines.

_You're not a murderer. _Cameron's words, ones she'd spoken subconsciously in his mind when he'd nearly killed the Gray infiltrator who had critically wounded Allison.

"No," he said, standing up quickly. "I have to end this."

He left his room, hearing quick and angry footsteps coming from behind him. Weaver had obviously had anticipated his second thoughts and stayed to make sure he went through with his original plan.

John curled his lip. _Let her try and stop me._

"You don't know what you're about to do," Weaver stated.

John Connor didn't stop, kept his rushed pace through Serrano Point to the communications station. "I don't care," he shot back at Weaver, who was keeping up with him effortlessly. "I can't do it. I can't let her die for me. No one else dies for me."

"You could alter the timeline…"

"Screw the timeline!" John shouted back angrily. "I don't _care! _I'm _going _to rescue her!"

Weaver remained silent, no doubt hearing the resilience in his voice. John picked up the radio and started to call Allison's radio once more.

************

**Outside Depot 32**

Allison Young stepped over another pile of wreckage, nearly slipping on a piece of tin scrap. Jason Reynolds was leading the pack and the rest of the Connor Camp soldiers – Brady, Taylor, Evans, and Brandon – all kept moving along at a steady pace. Jason glanced back once, making sure she was keeping up and Allison tried to remain focused, to keep up with the others. But her mind wasn't on the mission. It was on John and his last communication. He'd sounded worried, despite her assurances that this was just a simple give and go supply drop.

So if John Connor hated having her out of sight for even a small mission, he truly did care about her. Sitting under the stars with him had felt so _right, _so normal. And as she lay there, she couldn't help but feel immensely grateful to John's first love, Cameron.

_Whenever I get to heaven, I'll have to thank her. _Cameron, who was John's guardian angel of some kind, who had come to John and helped him let go, move on, open his heart once more.

She would never be able to thank Cameron enough for that, for allowing John to love again.

"Hey, Allison," Jason cut in. "Pay attention, kid. We're here."

"Don't 'kid' me," Allison retorted with a grin. "Remember I outrank you."

"How could I forget when you keep reminding me?" Jason shot back. He stepped forward and tapped on the door of Depot 32. "Hello? We're humans with the Resistance bringing medical supplies."

There was no answer on the other side, not even the faint sound of anyone approaching the door. Jason banged on the door again and Brady fidgeted uneasily. "Look, let's just go in. Standing out here in the open is making me nervous."

Jason yanked open the door, surprised to find it unlocked. "That's weird," he muttered mostly to himself. Everyone raised their plasma rifles uneasily as they advanced inside.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Allison mumbled, gripping her weapon tightly.

The six of them entered cautiously. Taylor turned on a flashlight, shining it around the dim hallway.

"Where is everyone?" he asked, his tone hushed and laced with a fear Allison had never heard from him before.

They walked through the eerie halls, spotting no sign of life at all. Not even bodies. "There's no one here," Brandon murmured softly.

Allison frowned. It didn't make any sense. If they had been killed, there would be bodies around, right? Had they evacuated? Was there something --- a dark silhouette caught her eye and she moved slowly into the corner.

"Look," she whispered softly, pointing to a single human form slumped against the wall. The person wasn't moving, head slumped down and to the side.

Brady took a tentative step forward, "Hey, you okay, buddy?" There was no reply and Brady gently tapped the body on the shoulder before placing two fingers on the human's neck to check for a pulse.

He shook his head. "He's dead."

Suddenly the corpse's head snapped around and Allison saw one red eye shining through tattered flesh. Her eyes widened in fear as the machine's hand reached up and grabbed Brady by the throat, squeezing and instantly breaking his neck.

Jason grabbed her by the shoulder, half-dragging her down the tunnel. "Run, run!"

And Allison Young ran faster than she'd ever run before, her thoughts frenzied from the pounding fear and adrenaline. She heard several plasma blasts fired, a small cry of victory, followed by an intense scream of pain.

_Taylor… _she recognized the young soldier's voice. It was followed almost instantly by the strangled cries of Brandon and Evans.

At that moment, her radio clicked on and she heard John's frantic voice. "Allison?! Allison, pickup! Are you there?"

She didn't stop running, grabbing the radio and shouting into it. "_John?_ They're here, John. It's a trap."

She wasn't sure the reason, but John's voice sounded full of guilt and remorse. "Don't worry," he assured her. "I'm coming for you."

"No! They'll kill you too, just like they'll kill us!"

"They won't kill you."

"How do you---."

"Just know that I'm coming to save you. I promise." She heard his voice break with emotion.

Any further communication was cut off when Jason slammed into her, knocking both the radio and her rifle out of her hand and tackling her to the floor. Mere milliseconds later, bullets from a machine gun ripped through the air where they had been running.

Jason dragged her to her feet, yanking her down the tunnel as the machine advanced. "There's more than one!" he hissed, panting heavily as he yanked her down the next tunnel. "You have to get out of here. Run!"

He shoved her forward and Allison kept running down the dark corridor. She didn't see what happened next. Didn't see the advancing Terminator step down directly on top of her radio, didn't see it catch up to Jason, shooting a dozen rounds into his body.

But she heard it all.

And she ran faster, tripping over a chair and scrambling quickly to her feet once more. The pounding footsteps of the Terminator only made her move even faster.

It had found her. It was giving chase.

She could feel the tears begin to form in her eyes. _Oh, John! _She was going to die here; she would never see John again, despite his heartfelt promise to rescue her.

In that one moment, she lost focus and her foot slipped on a stray piece of metal, sending her crashing to the floor. As she struggled to her feet, she glanced back, saw the endo steadily approaching, its pace quickening when it saw her on the ground.

She lurched to her feet. Why wasn't it shooting at her? Surely it hadn't used up all its ammo on Jason? Was John right? Was it merely going to take her prisoner?

She turned the corner and finally saw it.

The front door.

She slammed into the door, but it wouldn't budge. Shaking with fear and adrenaline she struggled with the latch which had rusted partway shut from non-use. The footsteps stopped and suddenly the Terminator was right behind her, a few yards away, shining a bright flashlight beam at her. Allison didn't stop, finally managing to yank open the latch and shoving open the door.

She bolted out the door, running a few paces before taking a wrong step, her ankle twisting slightly in a way that sent her falling among the rubble. She cringed as she rose shakily to her feet, glancing back at the open doorway.

Nothing was coming through it. The Terminator wasn't giving chase. For a moment, she felt the helplessness and despair.

_What is this, some kind of sick game? _Or maybe it was one of John's Terminator allies helping her escape. For a brief second, her spirits lifted –

Then she saw the net shoot out of the doorway, unfurling and engulfing her completely, pinning her to the ground. And then she was screaming, struggling futilely to escape, the bright line shining directly on her, the Terminator advancing.

And for the first time she could see that there was more than one of them. Two were the standard Triple 8's, but the one holding the flashlight was different; it was the only one that remained in shadows. She wasn't even sure what model it was, but it was definitely metal. She could see the silver glint even in the darkness. The strange Terminator's eyes were glowing blue, unlike its Triple 8 allies whose eyes were the standard red. What did that mean? Did blue mean the Terminator was a higher rank of some kind? Some kind of Commander?

One of the Triple 8's stepped forward, reaching down and removing the net. Allison recognized it as her only chance. As soon as the net was lifted up, she jerked to her feet, starting to run, counting on the fact that the Terminators would not resort to using their guns.

The mysterious blue-eyed Terminator reached forward as Allison shied away, its knife-like fingers raking the left side of her face. Allison cried out from the pain, jerking backwards and reaching for her face, feeling the blood flowing from the deep cuts.

The momentary distraction was all that was needed for the Triple 8 to grab her from behind in an unbreakable iron grip as the mysterious Terminator drove a clenched fist right at the side of her head.

Allison's world instantly went dark.

************

**Serrano Point**

The moment after he promised to save her, John Connor heard a wide array of frightening noises coming from the radio unit. Scuffling, thuds on the ground, the roaring of a machine gun, retreating footsteps, and then the metallic clicking of the Terminator's feet.

Then silence.

He dropped the device and hurried out of the room, rushing towards the front exit, slinging his plasma rifle around his shoulder as he did.

"John!" he heard Kyle call. "Scouts just spotted Blair."

John turned and nodded hastily with an indifference that drew Kyle's immediate attention. "Didn't you hear me?" his father demanded. "What's going on? Where are you going?"

"The machines have Allison," John explained quickly. "I'm going to rescue her."

John saw the horror enter his father's eyes. "Allison…" He stared at John stunned, finally processing the last part of John's statement. "I'll come with you." "No, you're needed here," John insisted hurriedly. "But I have to go. It's my fault she's in this mess."

He opened the door of the bunker and heard a faint explosion coming from the boundary line, followed by the shouts of several scouts.

"Land mine," Kyle deduced, eyes wide. "Means a Terminator tried to breach the perimeter."

The next few minutes were a rush of action as a squad of soldiers grabbed their weapons and headed out towards the perimeter. John remained behind until he heard the scouting group return and head straight for the infirmary, carrying a victim of the explosion.

John couldn't tell who it was on the stretcher, but he knew they would be in good hands with Lauren. He entered the main hall, instantly making eye contact with Kyle. "What's going on? Was it a breach?"

Kyle shook his head quickly. "It's Blair. She was on her way back with that guy and he stepped on one of the land mines."

"I thought those are only supposed to go off for metal," John stated, frowning.

"They are," Kyle replied, his face holding a hint of anger. "But that doesn't mean the techs don't get lazy and make mistakes."

It was hard to imagine any of the techs not taking their job seriously. "Are you sure he isn't metal?"

"We asked Blair," Kyle replied. "She said he had a heartbeat. Definitely human. But, man, it's a miracle he survived. Might not last long though. Lauren's working on him now."

John hesitated, his instincts still urging him to go after Allison. But now that the panic of the moment had passed, he was able to think more clearly. Where would he go? At this point, she would no longer be at Depot 32. The Terminators would have taken her to a prison camp somewhere, maybe a special one where they had the capabilities to create human tissue.

The only problem was he didn't know where.

"I'm going after Allison," he stated. He realized he'd spoken the words out loud when Kyle's eyes flashed up.

"Do you know where she is?"

"No, but I'll find her," John said solemnly. "I'll search the entire planet if I have to."

Before Kyle could respond, Lauren Fields came rushing into the room, her eyes wide with horror and fear. "John!"

John turned toward her, frowning at the look in her eyes. "What is it? I thought you were helping Blair's friend."

Her horrified face never changed, remaining a mix of fear and revulsion. "John… You need to see this."

**************

**Skynet Prison Barge**

**Interrogation Chamber**

Allison wasn't sure how long she had sat at the desk inside the dark chamber, no doubt waiting to be interrogated. She wasn't even sure how she had got here in the first place. The Terminator's blow had completely knocked her out. She wasn't even sure where she was.

The cuts on her face still stung, but when she'd reached up to touch them she found that they were no longer bleeding, though she was pretty sure they still looked awful.

She heard movement by the door and another shadowy figure entered the room, the same mysterious model Terminator that had marred her face. Not that it mattered. She was too nervous and frightened to be angry at the metal monster.

The Terminator sat down across from Allison and a bright light was suddenly flicked on, causing Allison to squint from the intense beam.

_Now comes the interrogation… _Her resolve hardened. John had been right. She'd only been taken prisoner. So maybe there was chance… a small chance, but a chance nonetheless, that he would be able to come and rescue her. Just like he promised.

She reached out and clung to that hope. It was all she had left now. She would be strong for him.

"Prisoner 715, what is your name?"

The voice startled her. It wasn't how she'd expected a Terminator's voice to sound. It was more like a human voice, distorted with a mechanical edge to it.

"My name?" Allison repeated. _Don't you already know? Isn't that why I was taken prisoner instead of killed like Jason and the others? _"Why should I tell you?"

"If you don't, we'll give you one," the voice replied.

Allison almost laughed. "Go ahead," she retorted bitterly. "I'm dying to hear it."

She heard movement from the corner and her eyes flashed over to see the Triple 8 appear out of the shadows. It stalked forward, grabbing her hand in its tight grip. Allison yelped, struggling to no avail to free her hand.

The Triple 8 slammed it onto the table palm up, extracting a small metal device and hovering it right above the inside of her arm. Allison's mind was racing. What was this? Some kind of torture technique?

The tiny device activated, bringing white hot pain as she stared in horror at the bar code that was being burned into her skin. She could feel the tears stinging her eyes as she struggled not to scream from the intense pain.

Her whole body was shaking as she gritted her teeth and stared up into the bright light and, ultimately, her interrogator.

"Allison!" she screamed. "Allison Young!"

The Triple 8 released her hand, grasping her by the shoulder and yanking her out of the seat and away from her interrogator. Allison let herself be dragged down the hall and into a dark prison cell. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she finally felt the tears begin flowing.

The burning sensation had died down, leaving only a dull throbbing pain. She clutched at her arm, staring bitterly at the bar code that was now permanently emblazoned on her skin.

Now she understood what John had been talking about when he'd first received his mark. He said he'd felt violated, marked as one of Skynet's. He'd been right, she realized. She hated it, loathed the thing that they had forced on her.

The only comfort right now was John's determined, reassuring voice in her head.

_Don't worry. I'm coming to rescue you._

**************

**Serrano Point**

**Prison Chamber**

John stared in stunned silence at the… thing that was chained up in the prison hold. The supposed human that Blair Williams had returned home with, the human she claimed to have heard a heartbeat from, the human that had rescued her, the human that had stepped on a land mine meant for machines.

Now John was beginning to understand why.

Because the thing chained up in front of him wasn't human. It was… well, he still wasn't quite sure.

Kyle stood quietly beside him, his eyes wide with equal shock as he turned to stare at Lauren. "What is that?"

Lauren couldn't seem to take her eyes off the hybrid. Half-human. It was the only way to describe what John was seeing. The land mine had ripped open the man's skin, revealing the silver endoskeleton underneath. Typical Terminator.

Except that this guy wasn't a typical Terminator.

Sheltered and protected by the metal ribcage was a beating, human heart, along with all the other organs a human would possess.

"Lauren, what is it?" Kyle repeated his query, his voice edgier than before.

Lauren shook her head, just as flummoxed as John and Kyle. "I'm not sure. I mean, it's just like all the infiltrator units. Same skin sheath. But underneath… it's… _human _organs…"

John took a step closer, causing the now awake hybrid to start squirming in his restraints. "Why are you doing this to me?" he shouted. "Let me go!" The thing's head was strapped back, preventing him from moving much at all. John tried to tune out the machine's frantic and angry shouting as he stared at the heart that was indeed beating underneath the metal breastplate.

"It's a human heart, enhanced or something to make it more powerful," Lauren explained. "Its brain has some kind of chip interface, which is probably how it is linked to Skynet." Her face twisted. "Human skin is one thing, but having human _organs? _And actually making them work with this… thing… John…this is twisted…"

John glanced over at Kyle then back at the half-machine. The human face contorted into a look of fear and anger as it tried to struggle to get at John.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Lauren cautioned. "You struggle too much, those shackles will release an electrical charge."

The machine's face turned into a frown. "I doubt it would kill me."

"Disable you," Lauren corrected.

The machine turned its angry, confused face from Lauren to John. "What are you _doing_ to me?" it demanded.

John stared back, studying it curiously. Was this particular terminator able to withstand electrical shocks? Was that why it had seemed so confused?

"What model are you?" Was this thing new? Even more advanced than Cameron? Was it some new kind of infiltrator?

"Model?" The machine's eyes narrowed. "My name is Marcus Wright."

And finally John realized what was going on with this thing, with this _Marcus. _This wasn't just some Skynet assassin that was good at blending in because it came with full human organs. Somehow, whether by Skynet programming, or by the human brain it possessed, Marcus didn't know he was a machine.

Marcus' eyes narrowed even more as he observed John's face and his silence. "My name is Marcus!" he repeated, voice filled with bitter finality.

John shook his head. "No. You're not human."

"I _am _human," the thing insisted almost violently.

John glanced over at Kyle and Lauren who both seemed fascinated and spooked at the same time. John reached over and released the strap that prevented Marcus from moving his head.

"Look at yourself," John ordered firmly, keeping his eyes fixed on Marcus. "And you tell me… do you see a human?"

Marcus glanced down at his own body, saw the mangled skin, the silver metal shining through. John watched, feeling a strange sense of pity as Marcus's eyes grew wide with horror as a desperate, anguished scream rose from his lips, his agonized voice echoing around the chamber.

***********

**Skynet Prison Barge**

**Prison Cell**

Allison sat silently inside the cell. It was dark, with only small rays of light streaming in from some round windows. She'd already tried looking out through them, but she still hadn't been able to determine where she was. Her thoughts continuously altered from the mark on her arm to John's determined promise. What was he doing right now? Was he risking life and limb to find her? Was it even possible for him to find her? She had no idea where she was. So how would he?

Her mind drifted back to John and the last time she had seen him. Under the stars, when he'd been trying to point out the constellations to her. He'd brought up school, something she barely knew the meaning of.

She'd told him "how can I miss something I've never experienced." Now she realized how wrong she'd been. She could miss it. She missed _him. _And she'd never even got to kiss him. They'd been so close that night under the stars, but Jason had interrupted.

And yet, she couldn't blame Jason, couldn't be mad at him. Because Jason had placed himself between her and the machines, giving her time to run, try to escape. Because Jason was dead, just like Brady, Brandon, Evans, and Taylor. Just like everyone else who had lived in that bunker. Just like she herself would soon be.

She fingered the bracelet on her wrist gingerly. To her it was more than just a pass to enter the Connor Camp; it was something John had given to her with much more meaning. It had sentimental value. And it was the only thing she had to hold on to right now. Obviously the Terminators didn't suspect what it was either. They had taken everything else, her jacket, combat boots… all but the ragged tunic and pants she was wearing. All but the bracelet.

She heard the steps outside the cell door and saw the two latches lift up as someone – well, some_thing _– unlocked them from the outside. The door opened and Allison watched as a tin plate was slid across the floor. On it was a small helping of some kind of nasty-looking mush.

She was hungry, she wouldn't deny that. But anything Skynet offered her was bound to have something inside it. Poison, truth serum, something. And even if it didn't, it was an act of willpower, of defiance to deny anything they did to "help" her. She reached down and gripped the edge of the metal tin, bringing it up and slamming it into the cell wall.

***********

**Serrano Point**

John was seated next to Kyle as his father and Blair began discussing the strange anomaly that was currently being held in Serrano's prison cell.

"He can't be evil," Blair insisted. "He's not like the rest of them. He saved my life!"

Kyle pursed his lips, glancing once at John, obviously expecting him to be the one asking the questions. John remained silent, not looking at his father. How could he question Marcus's humanity as a half machine when he himself loved a full-fledged Terminator, one he knew for a fact could feel emotions too? Not to mention the fact that Blair's argument was exactly the same as his when he'd been fighting with his mother and Derek about Cameron's intentions.

"Where'd you find it?" Kyle asked.

"I ejected after we tried to save the people at Cardinal Bunker," Blair began. "He was the only survivor."

"Not he," Kyle corrected. "_It_. _It_ was the only survivor, Blair."

Blair pressed her lips together tightly. "What will you do to him?"

Kyle glanced at John again but shrugged. "I'm sure it'll be destroyed."

"You mean killed?" Blair muttered bitterly.

Kyle's face hardened. "Don't start, Blair. Some of these things may look more human than others, but inside they're all tools of Skynet, they're all the same." His eyes were pleading with Blair to understand, to _recognize _the danger Marcus truly was. "They kill, that's what they do. Killing is _all_ they do. And they absolutely will not stop. Until you are dead. They all want you dead, they want all of us dead. To the machines, to Skynet we're the enemy. You can't forget that. You can't let your guard down. Especially with things like that."

John bit his lip when he finally heard where Kyle stood on the machine issue. That wasn't to say Kyle wouldn't be open to John's reprogramming, but right now, Kyle knew exactly what the machines were and what the humans needed to do about it.

Blair seemed to realize this too, and, recognizing that asking Kyle was fruitless, she turned to John, her eyes holding an infinite sadness and resolution. "Connor…he saved my life. I know he's not the enemy. He's different."

_You seem different._

_I am._

John locked eyes with Blair and it was like something passed between them, like she had been able to look right through him and had seen something there. And she finally knew that there was more to John Connor than meets the eye.

"I understand," he whispered softly. "I understand more than you know. But I can't let him free just yet, you have to understand. We have to find out what he's after. We have to make sure this isn't some kind of trick."

Blair looked away, seeming disappointed with his reaction. And he felt bad about not being able to reassure her just yet. But he knew they couldn't take a chance with this. Marcus had a mission; they always had a mission. And he hadn't been reprogrammed like Cameron. Marcus was on a mission for Skynet and right now John Connor needed to figure out what that mission was.

He met Lauren outside Marcus' cell. "What do you suggest we do about him?" John asked her.

Lauren shook her head. "We have to kill it. It's different, but it's still a killer, it's still a machine."

John gave her a sour look. "You know as well as I do that not all machines are our enemy."

Lauren looked over at him. "I do know. Cameron saved my life and the life of my family and I am grateful to her for that. I'm not saying there aren't good ones. But you sent Cameron back from the future. You reprogrammed her. This one hasn't been reprogrammed. It's still working for Skynet."

"How do you know?"

Lauren pursed her lips. "Connor…he infiltrated our base. Whether it was planned or not, he gained access to our camp. He gained access to you! If we hadn't caught him in the land mine, maybe he would have killed you. Maybe it's an assassin just waiting for the right moment to strike, when we're weak, when we start to forget what it truly is." She shook her head, pleading with him. "Tell me you're not concerned. If we unchain him, he could kill you. He could kill us all."

"I'm not saying let him roam free. But we're not killing him."

"You mean destroying him."

"_No, _I mean _killing_," John said forcefully. "That thing is only half machine, which means it's half human. We don't kill humans. We're not murderers."

Lauren was studying him with her brow furrowed. "Connor… what do you think he knows? Why are you fighting so hard for his life?"

John rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. He knew the real reason why he was reluctant to let Marcus be terminated. It was because Marcus was linked to Skynet. It didn't matter if he was currently using the human part of his brain or if his intentions really were good. What mattered was that Marcus was linked to Skynet. Which meant he probably had access to records, announcements, orders…

Prisoner transfers.

John lifted his eyes to meet Lauren's questioning gaze. "I need him," he said quietly but firmly.

"He can help me find Allison."

************

**Skynet Prison Barge**

**Interrogation Chamber**

This time she was alone in the darkness, sitting across from the dark shape that was her interrogator. No other Triple 8's were in the room. Allison took that as a good sign. It probably meant no more torture, since the Triple 8 had only been there in the first session to brand her.

Now that her interrogator knew her name, it no longer called her "Prisoner 715." Not that it made a difference. Either way, they wouldn't get any information out of her.

The bright lamp turned on again and Allison turned her head away, closing her eyes against the blinding light.

"Where are you from, Allison?" the distorted voice asked.

"I don't remember," Allison replied quietly. _Why do you even want to know? What purpose is this serving? _

"You don't remember where you're from?" the voice prodded.

Allison turned toward the voice. "Why does it matter?" she demanded. "It's not there anymore." _You destroyed it all. _

The room was silent for a minute and once again Allison wondered why they were even bothering asking her questions. Was this some kind of Skynet research? Were they trying to get her to admit something that could help them find John?

"Tell me about your life," the voice stated.

Allison clenched her jaw, trying to think of how much and what to tell the machine. "I live in a tunnel," she began. "I eat garbage for dinner." Putting it that way sounded awful. Which it was. But it was also so much more than that. She had family, she could sit out under the stars.

She had John.

"We eat whatever we can and we try to keep everyone we love from being killed by you," she said harshly.

"You have guard dogs at every base to detect us," the Terminator stated.

Allison glared up at the dark figure. "People do like small animals," she said, repeating the phrase she'd heard John use a while back.

"Tell me about your family."

Perhaps this was a trick. Maybe the machine was trying to trick her into talking about John. Or Kyle and Derek. Because honestly, why would they care what happened in her childhood?

She glanced over at the door. "My father was an architect," she began. "He taught me how to draw. My mother was a music teacher. She'd sit for hours and listen to Chopin."

Just as soon as she had spoken, the topic changed again. "What's that bracelet on your arm?"

For a moment Allison's mind froze as she scrambled to come up with a cover story.

"My sister gave it to me for my birthday," she began. "July 22."

She had to keep the topic away from the bracelet. Instead, she decided to elaborate on the subject of her birthday. "I had a party in Griffith Park," she continued, real emotion creeping into her voice. "All my friends were there. I saw a boy ride by on a silver mountain bike. And I told my Dad, that's what I want. And he said next year." Her voice broke and she felt the tears begin burning in her eyes as she thought of the crappy, makeshift bike John had managed to piece together for her last birthday, the first birthday party she had celebrated since she was two. Her eyes fell to the floor as she tried to compose herself. "But I didn't have a party the next year, no one did."

"Why not?"

Normally she would have scowled. _You know exactly why not. _She slowly lifted her eyes to stare into the darkness. "Everyone was dead."

And hearing the words out loud brought a fresh wave of pain and she felt her lower lip start trembling. And suddenly she was sobbing, right there in front of the heartless interrogator, something she'd sworn not to do. Her tears weren't just for her parents whom she barely remembered. They were for everyone who had died on Judgment Day. For Jason and the rest of her squad who had been killed mere hours ago. For Martin Bedell and all the other soldiers who had sacrificed their lives in the war against Skynet. For Kyle Reese, the man who had always treated her like his own daughter.

But mostly she cried for John, who had so desperately sworn to find her. There was nothing she wanted more than to be with him now, in his arms, his quiet voice comforting her.

She barely knew what she was doing, but the soft words escaped through her lips in a whisper as the tears trickled down her face.

"I want to go home…"

"Where is home?" the interrogator questioned.

_Where John is. _Her eyes opened slowly to stare into the darkness. Another trick. They wanted her to say where the Connor Camp was. So, instead, she gave them her birthplace, the place she hardly remembered, the place that was no more a home to her than this interrogation chamber.

"Palmdale," she whispered. Her vision was still blurry from tears as she shifted her gaze to the door. _Home. Not to Palmdale. To Camp Toto. To John. _

There were no guards in the room, nothing keeping her from attempting an escape. No matter how stupid or reckless or impossible it seemed, she had to try. She had to get back to John.

Before she could change her mind, Allison Young bolted for the door.

*********

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

John clicked on the tape recorder, listening quietly as his mother's voice began streaming out of the speaker.

"You sent Kyle Reese back to protect me," Sarah was saying. "Together your father and I terminated the machine that was sent to kill me. In the future, I suspect more machines will arrive. Advanced models in many disguises, with an intellect far superior to that of humans. They'll use anything in their power to deceive you. Do not trust it, John. Never forget what they are. Machines. They only have one objective: to kill you."

"No," he whispered. He knew in his heart that in this case, his mother was wrong. His thoughts flashed to Catherine Weaver, John Henry, Marcus Wright, and Cameron.

He shook his head, whispering his belief into the empty room.

"Not all of them."

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight_: _[Allison looks up to see a mirror image of herself.] CAMERON: You shouldn't have run. You're just making things worse for yourself. [John boards a helicopter] PILOT: Anybody got a visual on Blair or the machine? MARCUS: (to John) I'm the only hope you have. I can help you find her._


	18. Born to Endure

_Previously on Born to Fight: WEAVER: Skynet has built something new. JOHN: Cameron… [Allison and her squad enter the bunker. A Terminator ambushes them] ALLISON: (on radio) They're here, John. It's a trap. JOHN: I'm coming for you. They won't kill you. [Allison captured in a net and placed inside a prison cell.] JOHN:(to Kyle) The machines have Allison. I'm going to rescue her. [Marcus is brought in on a stretcher.] LAUREN: You need to see this. [John sees Marcus chained up, sees the organs in his metal body] JOHN: What is that? MARCUS: My name is Marcus Wright. JOHN: You're not human. BLAIR: He saved my life. He's not the enemy, he's different. JOHN: (to Lauren) You know that as well as I do. LAUREN: This one hasn't been reprogrammed. It's still working for Skynet. JOHN: I need him. He can help me find Allison. [Light comes on in the interrogation chamber and TOK questions Allison] ALLISON: I want to go home. TOK715: Where is home? [Allison looks up and makes a break for the door.] _

**Chapter Eighteen:**

**Born to Endure**

**Skynet Prison Barge**

Allison Young wasn't sure how she'd been able to escape the interrogation room without the Terminator catching her. But whatever the reason for the machine's delay, it had given her enough time to burst down the hall, running as fast as she possibly could.

A loud alarm began blaring, alerting everyone else on the barge of her escape. She felt the sharp pang of fear at the realization that more Terminators would soon be on her trail. That thought only made her move faster. She had to get out of here before they found her.

When she reached the end of the long hallway, she paused, looking from left to right. _Which way? _she thought frantically. The facility was like a maze and she had absolutely no idea which path would lead to freedom. She glanced back. There were no Terminators in the area yet, but that didn't mean she could delay. She carefully started down the left hallway, her pace quickening as she advanced. There was no turning back now. She shoved open a door, turning around and latching it behind her.

She wasn't stupid enough to think it would prevent a Terminator from coming in. But maybe it would slow it down and give her time to escape. She turned around… and stared in shock at what was in the room she'd stumbled upon.

Prisoners. Human prisoners being kept in steel cages, crammed together. As soon as they saw her, they began shouting, pleading. Not begging her to somehow find a way to free them, no.

They were yelling at her to get out, to escape while she had the chance.

And Allison hated it. She hated being helpless, having to walk past all those prisoners, human beings who would be killed or used in some Skynet experiment. She hated not being able to help them. She hated that they had resigned themselves to their fate, encouraging her to run while she still could. Their voices, their hands gesturing frantically towards the other side of the room.

She ran down to the other end, trying to open the door but finding it shut tight. A strange high-pitched animalistic sound came from her right and she spun to see that the cages on this side were filled with animals. The one that made the noise seemed vaguely familiar, like she'd seen it as a child. Monkey, if she recalled correctly.

She looked across from the monkey to see the other ferocious beast, the orange and black striped cat-like monstrosity with large fangs and a fierce growl. She backed up inadvertently, then charged past toward the other end, spotting the ladder that led to the level above.

She pulled herself out of the hole into the darkness, feeling a cool breeze that made her realize she was outside. On top of the prison barge. There was a huge tower to her right, equipped with searchlights and she could still hear the alarm blaring faintly from within the facility.

Allison ran across the roof, halting abruptly when she saw the huge chasm that yawned before her, the drop leading into the dark water below.

She'd known she was on a ship. She just didn't know it was that big. The drop from the aircraft carrier to the water below was long, not to mention that there was a chance she could drown trying to swim to shore, wherever shore was. Maybe Skynet even had hydrobots patrolling the waters.

She glanced back at the tower, at the searchlights that were barely lighting up the sky. If she stayed here, she would die. There was no question. There was only one chance. One chance to live. One chance to see John again.

Jump.

Allison took a deep breath before launching herself off the edge of the ship, falling through the air and landing in the water below with a huge splash. She opened her eyes underwater, half expecting to see a hydrobot swimming towards her. Instead, she saw that right below her was a net.

A net that was lifting up and engulfing her. Allison struggled, trying to swim out of its reach, but it was no use. She frantically searched for something, a hole in the net, any means of escape.

There was nothing. As the net lifted her up out of the water like a fish, one thing became painfully clear.

There was no escape.

**********

**Serrano Point**

John Connor still didn't know what he was going to do with Marcus Wright. On the one hand, Blair's insisting that Marcus was different reminded him so much of himself, of times when he used to defend Cameron from Sarah and Derek. On the other hand, Lauren was right. Marcus was not reprogrammed. He was still working for Skynet in some way. Letting him loose right now would be a huge risk, even if Blair seemed to believe in his humanity.

But he also disagreed with Lauren. He wouldn't disassemble – or kill – Marcus. He _needed _Marcus, needed the knowledge he held, knowledge of Skynet prisoners and where they were being kept. He couldn't save Allison without Marcus but neither could he let Marcus free.

Which left him at a crossroads.

He was vaguely aware of Kyle entering the room and standing at attention. John turned to look at his father, knowing Kyle had just got off a guard shift in the prison vault. "Who's watching Marcus?"

"Blair."

The second the name left Kyle's mouth, John's father frowned, his eyebrows narrowing as he suddenly realized the problem.

John knew it too, had unconsciously known Blair would try something like this. He knew… because he would have done exactly the same thing for Cameron. He would have risked life and limb, faced certain death to get her out of a place where she was being studied and experimented on like some kind of lab rat.

Blair's logic in this situation didn't seem far off.

"Alert the rest of the base." John snapped the order to Kyle as he jolted out of his seat and headed down the tunnel towards the prison chamber.

Kyle ran the opposite direction as John raced down the hallway, entering the chamber where they'd been holding Marcus. Sure enough, both Blair and the hybrid were gone.

John heard a clang coming from down the tunnel and raced across the catwalk, spotting Blair and Marcus down below. The hybrid was ripping off the cover of a large ventilation shaft. A Resistance guard came up beside John and aimed his rifle before John could react, firing a blast that would have killed Blair instantly if Marcus had not shielded her with his own body.

John's fist connected with the guard's face and the man went down, dropping his weapon and groaning.

"Are you crazy?!" John spat angrily. "Did I order you to shoot?"

The guard's eyes were wide. "We're supposed to stop them!"

"We don't shoot at our own people," John shot back icily.

"She's a traitor, Connor…" the guard began.

The soldier wasn't even worth the trouble. John curled his lip and ignored the man, staring back down below. Marcus and Blair were no longer visible, having escaped through Serrano's ventilation shaft.

_Where are you going, Blair? _He thought. What did she think she could accomplish? Where would she and Marcus go?

Where would he go if it was him and Cameron attempting the escape?

First they'd have to escape Serrano's perimeter. They wouldn't be able to run out in the open. So they'd have to use the tunnels. Then they'd come out. Right near the forest.

And the river.

John sprinted down the hall towards the hanger, hearing the sounds of running footsteps all around. Kyle had already issued the alert. Everyone was now aware of the breakout.

John ran into the small hanger where his helicopter sat. His pilot and gunner were already inside the chopper, having heard the alarm and anticipating an aerial search would be necessary.

"Dobkin!" John shouted. "Fire it up!" His pilot quickly started the helicopter's engine and John jumped on. The helicopter roared out of the hanger and John told Dobkin to head towards the small forest and river.

_God, please let there be no Skynet patrols in this area. _He had no doubt they were going to be making some noise.

The helicopter searchlights flashed on and suddenly John saw the two dark shapes moving down below. Blair and Marcus.

"We have a lock," the gunner, Reeves, announced.

"What about Blair?" Dobkin demanded from the pilot's seat. "We can't shoot her!" John understood Dobkin's hesitation. He and Blair were both pilots, teammates of a sort.

Reeves merely glared back, insensitive to Dobkin's inner turmoil. "She's made her position clear…"

John's hand clamped down on the gunner's shoulder. "No. Do not engage."

Reeves stared at him incredulously. "Connor, are you crazy? She's sided with one of _them_! We can't let that thing escape back to Skynet."

"I'm not saying let them go. I said don't shoot. Just follow them."

Any argument was cut off by a huge explosion down in the minefield along the Serrano perimeter, a long row of the land mines all seeming to go off at once.

"What is going on?" Reeves demanded, shouting to be heard over the roar of the explosion. Marcus and Blair were no longer in view, masked by the cloud of smoke and fire.

John understood.

It was a diversion.

Blair had set off the mines to provide cover for their escape. He wasn't sure how. It could be as simple as a spool of wire that she rolled out among the mines.

"I can't get a read," Dobkin muttered from the pilot's seat. "Connor, do you have a visual?"

"No, nothing."

Dobkin tried contacting the other helicopters. "Anybody got a visual on Blair or the machine?"

For some reason, calling Marcus a "machine" felt wrong to John, but he didn't bother to correct Dobkin. All the reports from the other choppers came back negative.

"Take us down some," John ordered. Dobkin flew the helicopter down lower and John saw the smoke finally begin to clear.

He saw a body lying face down in the middle of the minefield, wearing Marcus' coat. A shout of victory came over the chopper's communication system.

"We got it! It blew itself up!"

The second helicopter set down and Dobkin started to do the same, but John waved him on. "No, not yet. We're not done here."

Dobkin frowned. "But we've got him."

John shook his head. He knew better than to think that was actually Marcus down there. Marcus was part machine. He would know better than to go through the minefield again. Which meant that Blair would have gone first and set them off. Marcus had gone through heading for the river while the smoke had shielded him.

Which meant it wasn't Marcus down there.

"Head to the river," John ordered. Dobkin frowned, but obediently turned the helicopter towards the river. John glanced back to see the second helicopter's crew get out and approach the body slowly. He couldn't tell who it was, he was too far away at this point, but he already knew, even before it was confirmed over the helicopter's radio system.

"Alert! Machine is still MIA. Blair was a decoy. We're taking her into custody."

Both Dobkin and Reeves turned to look at John with awe and respect. "Guess that's why you're in charge," Dobkin said with a grin.

John didn't return the smile. This whole situation was only reminding him of his intense feelings for Cameron. If roles had been reversed, he would have done exactly what Blair did. He would have sacrificed himself in that minefield if it meant Cameron could escape. He knew she would never have let him do that, but that didn't make the thought of it any less real.

If he had to, he would have died for her.

John swallowed hard, clearing his mind and pointing down towards the river. "He came through here, down there somewhere. Fly low."

************

**Skynet Prison Barge**

**Interrogation Room**

Allison landed hard on the floor, still soaking wet from the swim, still dismayed that it had been for nothing. The room was completely lit up this time and Allison slowly lifted her head. And for the first time, she could fully see her interrogater… and her face slowly changed into horror.

It was like looking into a mirror.

She was staring at a carbon copy of herself, a twin, identical, standing there perfectly still. The voice began, in the same mechanically human voice she'd been hearing ever since she was captured.

"You shouldn't have run." The voice changed mid-sentence and suddenly Allison was listening to her _own _voice speaking through the machine. "You're just making things worse for yourself."

All she could do was stare in complete and total shock. How was this possible? This… this _thing _looked like her, talked like her. It was even wearing the very clothes Allison had worn when she was captured. In fact, the only thing that set them apart right now was the fact that Allison was wet and she still bore the cuts in her face, the scratches caused by this _machine's _claw-like skeleton hand.

John's words rose to the forefront of her mind. _Everybody has a twin. _Yeah, but usually not an identical one. He'd been referring to her then, how she'd looked like a girl he once knew, the girl he'd loved.

Cameron…

Slowly Allison felt the tears start to build in her eyes. _No. _It wasn't possible! _This _was who John had loved? This… this _machine? _Her mind, her heart tried to deny it, but suddenly everything made sense. Everything. The reason why John had been so reluctant to love again was because Cameron hadn't been truly dead. She hadn't even been… _created… _yet.

This… this was Cameron. She didn't know how or why but somehow John met this Terminator. Met and fell in love with. Maybe more of the time travel stuff.

Cameron stared down at her, almost with a strange mechanical curiosity. "Your hair. It's so pretty." The voice was soft, Allison's own voice. At Cameron's words, Allison's hand automatically went to feel her wet hair, her hand still shaking as she tucked a strand behind her ear.

"We worked very hard on the hair," Cameron continued, copying Allison's motion to move the hair behind her ear. "To get it right." The hand slowly dropped down to the machine's side and Allison's gaze followed it, finally comprehending what was going on.

Cameron was _studying _her, trying to learn how she acted, how she moved, how she talked. This whole thing, this whole interrogation session had been a way for Skynet to create a Terminator model that could walk and talk just like Allison Young. One that could ultimately fool everyone into thinking it truly _was _Allison.

"I am not your enemy," Cameron stated.

Allison's lip curled as she stared up at the machine darkly. "Right."

"I want to get to know you."

_Of course you do. _She'd been wrong. When she'd been interrogated, she'd thought the machines were cleverly trying to trick her into revealing the location of John's camp, her _home. _Now, she realized she was the one who had been tricked. Skynet had _wanted _her to recite childhood memories. Because in order for Cameron to pass as Allison Young, she would need to know Allison's memories. And the emotions that went with them.

She'd fallen right into the trap.

"You're very brave," Cameron said. "That must be why John Connor chose you."

_No… _Allison steeled herself. Cameron wasn't going to get anything else out of her. She would never betray John. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I admire him. His determination. His spirit. His fearlessness."

Allison stared down at the floor, squeezing her eyes shut against the tears that threatened to fall. Cameron paused, no doubt studying Allison's reaction to the discussion of John. "I'd like to meet him."

Allison jerked her head up quickly, almost violently. "He wouldn't want to meet you!" she shouted tearfully. But the moment the words left her mouth, she realized how untrue they were. John _loved _Cameron. He'd been secretly waiting all this time for her return. Of course he would want to meet her. It was what he'd been waiting for.

"They're going to kill you," Cameron began, her voice cold and emotionless. "They're going to kill every one of you. They'll hunt you down until every human is gone and you're extinct."

Allison ground her teeth together. "Why are we having this conversation?" _Just kill me. I'll never lead you to John._

"Because some of us don't want that," Cameron replied. "Some of us want peace. You were chosen, Allison. Not just by John Connor. By us."

And for a brief moment, Allison considered. It was certainly possible, wasn't it? Maybe Cameron really was working against Skynet. And why not? The liquid metal Weaver Terminator worked with John. There was a rebel faction of machines somewhere that was helping John Connor. Maybe Cameron was sincere. Maybe that was how she met John originally, because she was helping him.

Cameron kept staring at her, her stoic face and lifeless eyes unnerving Allison who shivered involuntarily. This was so… so _surreal. _Seeing herself, as a machine. Her face on a killing weapon…

"Tell me where his camp is," Cameron stated.

The delusion of Cameron possibly being a rebel machine slowly faded and Allison clenched her jaw, shaking her head back and forth. "I'll never help you get to John."

Cameron didn't seem frustrated at all. She merely stood up, stalked past Allison, and paused at the door before replying.

"We'll see."

************

**Outside Serrano Point**

John stared down into the water, searching for any sign of Marcus. If the hybrid had human lungs, would he need to breathe? Dobkin took them down lower until they were almost at the water level.

Reeves grunted in resentment. "Wouldn't he have swam away by now?"

"Terminators can't swim," John replied swiftly, never taking his eyes off the river.

"Really?" Dobkin asked curiously. "How do you know?"

John's mind flashed back to the time Cromartie had nearly drowned him at the pier.

_"A little help?" _

"_I don't swim." _

"_Yeah, I just figured that out." _

John shook his head, glancing up at Dobkin. "Trust me. I know."

Reeves lit a flare and tossed it into the water, the red light briefly illuminating the space beneath the surface.

John saw the dark shadow and jerked backwards a split second before something long and metal erupted out of the water. The thing's razor lined metal jaws clamped onto Reeves' face and John got a good, horrifying look at the creature.

It was a long, snake-like Terminator segmented like a worm with a glowing red sensor for an eye. Three pincer-like claws extended from one end with something that resembled a huge drill-bit right in the middle of the claw. He'd never seen one before, but suddenly John realized he was looking at a Hydrobot for the first time, the water Terminators Jason Reynolds had told him about. The Hydrobot knocked Reeves backwards into the water and John saw a swarm of at least six others come in for the kill.

John turned away from the horrific scene in time to see two more of the machines crash through the front of the cockpit window, their bodies thrashing like a fish out of water, smashing into the control panels. The helicopter jerked and John was nearly flung out the side.

He heard Dobkin's scream and saw his pilot get yanked out of the chopper by the leg, disappearing into the water below. John's pulse was pounding and he lunged for the cockpit, getting blocked by the Hydrobot that had crashed into the helicopter.

John let loose with a flurry of his plasma rifle. The bolts smashed into the Hydrobot, knocking it out of the aircraft, but not doing as much damage as he wanted. John tried to grab the controls and pull the helicopter up, but he could do nothing as the engine and the chopper's rotor blades slowly stopped, crashing him into the shallows of the riverbank. John quickly yanked himself up on top of the helicopter as it slowly began to sink.

He desperately scanned the riverbank. The shore wasn't too far away.

All he had to do was get there.

Without getting sliced into pieces by the mechanical equivalent of a piranha.

John pulled his knife out of his wrist holster and hurled it up the river, hoping the Hydrobots would lock onto the sound of the splash and go investigate. He only partially succeeded.

The Hydrobots did indeed turn towards the sound and start slithering over slowly to investigate. But as soon as John jumped into the water and began swimming frantically towards the shore, they spun back around, heading for the bigger fish.

John half-waded, half-swam toward the shore, hearing the sound of the hydrobots which sounded eerily like a mechanical screaming. They were closing in fast.

John turned, still backing up rapidly as a Hydrobot lurched out of the water at his face. John sidestepped, throwing his arm up in protection. The Hydrobot's sharp fang-like blades sliced into part of his arm and he cried out, grabbing the machine and struggling to hold it out at arm's length to prevent it from clamping onto his face.

His adrenaline was pumping and he managed to hurl the machine into the water. Blood was dripping from his arm and, though he knew he was crazy to think it, the Hydrobots seemed to grow a little more frenzied at the smell of blood.

Which was ridiculous, he knew. They couldn't smell, couldn't feel. They were machines. Very deadly machines.

He started to back up again through the water only to find that two hydrobots were slowly sneaking in behind him, cutting off his exit to the shore. And finally John began to feel the despair.

He hadn't planned on going out like this.

He hadn't done all he needed to do. He hadn't rescued Allison, hadn't found Cameron, hadn't beat Skynet.

He ground his teeth together in frustration. _This can't be how it ends! I'm not ready to die! _

The Hydrobots seemed to sense that he had nowhere to go, that they would ultimately win. They began snaking closer and John could do nothing but watch helplessly.

One lunged from the water, coming directly for his face, when a hand slammed down on the Hydrobot, grabbing the mechanical monster and wrestling it into the water, away from John.

His first, crazy thought was _Cameron! _Even though he knew she was not around yet, much less his protector. He was just so used to her being the one to save him from machines.

Instead, John realized it was Marcus Wright who had come to his rescue. The hybrid flung the Hydrobot into the water and it stayed there. In fact, none of the Hydrobots attacked either John or Marcus, looking to Marcus expectantly as if waiting to see what he would do. They were like dogs, John realized. Dogs who recognized humans and took orders from humans, but would attack machines. The Hydrobots were the same, attacking humans and recognizing machines. Waiting on orders from a superior mechanical entity.

Marcus seemed to realize this as well, only one further blow to drive home the point that he was a machine.

John stumbled backwards out of the water. He didn't even make a move for his gun, simply met eyes with the Terminator hybrid that had just saved his life. "What are you?" he whispered.

Marcus stared down at himself, at the metal that was showing through the huge cuts and bullet holes, felt the cold metal around his face. But he also reached to touch where his heart was, to feel the reassuring thumping the let him know he was still _living. _Still human.

His eyes met John's with a determination. "I'm the only hope you have. You know I'm different. You know I was human, _am _human."

_Part human, _John didn't bother to correct. Marcus was right about being different. He'd saved John from the Hydrobots. He seemed to care about Blair. He had put himself in harm's way to protect her from the gunfire inside Serrano.

"How can I trust you?" John asked.

Marcus pursed his lips. "You can't. Not yet. But I can help you."

John felt a small thrill shoot through him. This was the reason he had been reluctant to kill Marcus in the first place. Marcus was right. He truly was John's only hope.

"I know what you want, Connor," Marcus continued. "You want her back, the girl you love. Allison. You want to rescue her."

John swallowed hard. "Yes."

"I can help you find her," Marcus offered. "If this is the only way I can prove to you that I'm not one of them…"

John heard several shouts coming from behind him. The rest of the Resistance fighters had obviously seen or heard the helicopter crash and were coming to investigate. And when they arrived, they would kill Marcus.

John stared back at Marcus, who wasn't making any move to leave, simply waiting to hear John Connor speak his fate. John nodded, swallowing hard. "Okay."

Marcus hastily glanced in the direction of the approaching footsteps. "This will be dangerous, Connor."

John didn't even hesitate. "I know."

John saw Marcus bite his lip, saw the compassion in his eyes when he said, "Don't let Blair come. She'll probably want to, but it's too dangerous."

John nodded again.

"Connor!" he heard Kyle's frantic voice coming from over the edge of the hill.

"Meet me outside the perimeter," Marcus said quickly. "South side." He backed away into the water, slowly disappearing beneath the river.

"John!"

John turned to see Kyle rush up, plasma rifle in hand, worried look on his face. John glanced back into the water, but Marcus was already gone.

Kyle put a steady hand on John's shoulder. "John? Are you okay? We saw the crash. Did Marcus…"

"He's gone," John replied simply. "He's gone."

************

**Skynet Prison Barge**

**Interrogation Room**

Her machine counterpart came back frequently at what seemed like every hour, as if trying to wear her down into revealing something by accident.

It was fruitless. Allison swore she would never betray John. Not even Cameron could make her. And all the while, Allison was faced with the cold, hard truth. That John loved this machine more than anything. That he had chosen Cameron over everyone else, even over Allison. That hurt deeper than anything else. She understood using machines to help fight machines. Reprogrammed or converted or whatever. But she couldn't understand falling in love with one.

Cameron came back in, just like she usually did. Lights on, no restraints. A supposedly more "friendly" environment. Allison scoffed. Hard to be friendly when all she really wanted was to punch the machine's face in.

"You're wasting your time," she muttered before Cameron said a word. "I'll never betray John Connor."

Cameron tilted her head to the side curiously. "Why not? He betrayed you."

Allison's breath caught and she slowly looked up into Cameron's eyes. The cyborg stared back evenly. "You know this. We received word that there was a spy in our ranks, someone giving information to John Connor. Connor knew about my creation; he knew about my mission and where I was going. John sent you into a trap."

And Allison wanted to deny it, wanted desperately to believe that Cameron was lying. But she knew deep down that it was true. It only made sense. The way John had sounded in his calls; in the first he'd sounded guilty, like he was hiding something, then he sounded remorseful in the second. Almost like he'd known what was coming, how he knew the machines wouldn't kill her, would only capture her. He knew she had to be captured in order for Skynet to create Cameron.

"I'm sure he had good reason," she whispered, more to reassure herself than to answer Cameron. "He had to have." She desperately hoped it wasn't just because of Cameron. She hoped he hadn't orchestrated all of this just to get his precious cyborg back. That wasn't the John Connor she knew.

The machine kept questioning her, talking to her, trying to get her to betray John. And Allison had to admit, the realization of John's own betrayal had hurt, but there had to be a reason for it. He'd always talked about time travel and stuff. Maybe it would have messed up the timeline. Maybe if she hadn't been captured, it would have caused more deaths. Maybe John was trying to save people… just like he was trying to come for her now. If that was the case… she could accept that.

Cameron kept coming back. Allison wasn't sure how long the entire process had lasted. Maybe she had been in here for days, maybe only hours. But she didn't eat and she couldn't sleep anymore. It was always the same room, always the same interrogator, always the same demand.

"Tell me where his camp is," Cameron said again. It was always the same thing, the same tone. The machine never seemed to tire, never seemed to grow weary or annoyed with Allison. It was always there, unrelenting, waiting for her to break.

"I'll tell you," she said finally. "But first… can you do something for me?" She hesitated. "If you are who I think you are… If you are, or will become, the Cameron that John loves, please give him a message for me. Don't forget. I don't think he'll scrub all your memories." The machine was staring at her curiously again. Maybe it was simply capturing her emotions to use later, or maybe it was truly listening to her. Either way, Allison had to try.

"Tell him that I know," she began, fighting back tears. "I know everything; how he lied to me, how he used me to get you back. But… tell him I forgive him."

Cameron cocked her head. "Why would you forgive him? He betrayed you."

It made sense for the cyborg to question the concept. It wasn't something a machine would understand. "Why?" Allison repeated. "Because I love him."

"Unconditional love," Cameron stated quietly.

As if she understood it. Allison felt her face flush with anger. "Something you know _nothing _about."

The machine didn't blink, didn't flinch. Merely kept studying Allison. Watching. Waiting.

Allison closed her eyes briefly, gathering her courage, before she stared back into her own face.

She gave the coordinates.

It didn't matter. Cameron would be terminated at the entrance if she didn't have the bracelet.

Unless John was waiting for her.

The thought brought tears into her eyes and she nearly choked on her sobs. "I hope he kills you!" she spat. "I hope you get turned into scrap!"

Cameron didn't respond to her angry screams, merely stood up and stalked toward the door, leaving Allison alone and sobbing.

**********

**Serrano Point**

**Prisoner Hold**

John entered the prison chamber where Blair Williams sat with her hands chained behind her back and her feet shackled to the chair. She had to be miserable, but she raised her head fearlessly when she saw him.

"Connor. Welcome to my new quarters," she said sarcastically, glancing around the dim room. "I've been redecorating…"

"Why'd you do it?" John asked, ignoring her banter. He had to know for sure, to know that she truly was like him, that she truly was in love with Marcus, just as he was with Cameron. "Why'd you break Marcus out? He's a machine."

Blair looked up sharply. "Not to me he isn't," she replied. Her voice softened. "He's something else. Something we don't understand. But when I looked at him… I saw a man. Not a machine."

He felt a sad smile cross his face. It was exactly how he felt about Cameron. When Derek and Sarah looked at his cyborg protector, they saw metal. They saw the machine underneath.

He saw so much more.

"He's a person, a man trapped inside of a machine." She paused, seeming to realize how fruitless her argument was. "Why do you ask? Does it matter? You've already formed your opinion."

John swallowed hard before nodding. "You're right. I formed my opinion a long time ago." He turned toward the guard of Blair's prison.

"Let her go," he ordered.

The guard uncrossed his arms, looked puzzled. "But, Connor…"

"Let. Her. Go," John repeated, more firmly this time. The guard still seemed confused, but he ran over and started to unchain Blair, who was now looking up at John with uncertainty and awe.

"Where is he?" she asked.

He didn't need to ask who she was referring to. "Marcus is going to help me with a mission."

As soon as the chains were off, Blair lurched out of the chair. "I'm coming with you."

John shook his head quickly. "No. It's too dangerous. Marcus said --."

"I'll deal with Marcus," Blair countered. Her eyes softened as she spoke his name. "I have to see him."

John hesitated, hearing Marcus's voice in his head, pleading for him to keep Blair safe inside Serrano. But he also heard the desperate love in Blair's tone, that need to see Marcus again and be near him.

He'd often felt the same way.

"Okay," he relented. Either way, Blair would have found a way to follow him. At least this way, he had that much less to worry about. "He's waiting for us outside the perimeter. Let's go."

As they hurried for the door, trying to avoid attention, John could feel his heart pounding furiously. It was finally happening, his determined rescue mission. He was finally going to find her, to save her.

He drew in a deep, shaky breath.

_Hold on, Allison. We're coming for you._

* * *

**Next Week on Born to Fight:** _JOHN: So where is she? MARCUS: Connor, there's a slight problem. [John enters Depot 32 and finds the bodies of his soldiers, noticing the bracelets are gone] BLAIR: Why would the leader of mankind, the man dedicated to fighting and stopping the machines, be the one to believe me and Marcus? [TOK715 grabs Allison by the neck] TOK715: You lied to me. ALLISON: I'll never help you get to John Connor. [John opens the door to the interrogation room, his eyes widening in horror.]_


	19. Born to Die

_

* * *

__Previously on Born to Fight:_ _JOHN: I made you a promise. And John Connor always keeps his promises.[John and Allison lay looking at the stars] ALLISON: I'll always remember this. [The bunker is attacked and Allison runs from the Terminators] JOHN: (over radio) I love you. Just know I'm coming to save you. I promise. JOHN: (to Weaver) I cannot sacrifice a human life. I'm going to rescue her. [Allison interrogated by TOK. She attempts to escape but is recaptured and looks up to see a mirror image of herself] TOK715: You shouldn't have run. You're just making things worse for yourself. ALLISON: I'll never betray John. TOK715: He betrayed you. ALLISON: I forgive him. Because I love him. TOK715: Unconditional love. [Allison gives up the location of the Connor Camp. Back at Serrano, Blair returns with her injured friend.] KYLE: What is that? MARCUS: My name is Marcus Wright. JOHN: I need him. He can help me find Allison. [Marcus escapes into the river and saves John from the hydrobots] MARCUS: I'm the only hope you have. I can help you find her. JOHN: Okay. MARCUS: Don't let Blair come. [John releases Blair from her holding cell] BLAIR: I'm coming with you. I'll deal with Marcus. JOHN: Hold on, Allison. We're coming for you. _

**Chapter Nineteen:**

**Born to Die**

**Outside Serrano Point**

John had managed to slip himself and Blair outside Serrano Point before Kyle or anyone else could realize he was missing. They met up with Marcus outside the perimeter, on the south side, just as the hybrid had said.

As they approached, Marcus's eyes flashed from Blair to John accusingly. "What is she doing here?" he demanded. "I told you—."

"Don't blame Connor," Blair insisted. "I would have come anyway." She ran over to Marcus and gave him a tight hug and John saw some of Marcus's anger dissipate instantly. John allowed them their brief moment, but he didn't have any time to waste. Somewhere out there Allison was being tortured, interrogated by the machine that would eventually become the girl he loved. He couldn't even begin to comprehend the insanity of it.

"So where is she?" John asked.

Marcus hesitated. "Connor, there's a slight problem."

"Problem," John said crisply. "You didn't mention that when I let you go in the river."

"It wasn't a problem then," Marcus replied coolly, not intimidated by him at all. "First of all, I don't know where Allison is being held."

"You're hooked into Skynet," John stated. "Get the information from it."

"It doesn't work that way," Marcus insisted. "I don't even _know _where I would start. I've tried to access those functions, but I can't find Allison's information anywhere. As much as Skynet wanted her, it wanted her hidden. It's not broadcasting that information to any ground trooper Terminator."

John took a deep breath. "And second?"

"Second is the fact that I still have this chip attached to my head," Marcus replied. "I think I'm using my own brainpower right now, but I can't be sure. Maybe I'm leading you into a trap. Skynet can probably track us through me."

Blair looked over at John worriedly. "Can you do something about that?"

John shrugged. "Should be simple. You just take it out. He's not like the other Terminators that will stop functioning without the chip. Marcus still has his brain. Removing the chip will just remove Skynet's link to him. It won't kill him."

Marcus flicked open a long knife and held it out to John. "Do it."

John hesitated, but closed his hand around the weapon. The hybrid sat down and John poised the knife blade over his head. He saw Blair turn away and he almost felt like doing so himself. This was the part he'd always hated. Cutting into Cameron was, of course, always a thousand times worse, but even now, he still felt wrong. Because he thought of Marcus as a real person.

And you don't just go cutting into a real person's head.

He pressed the knife down, cutting a small circle in Marcus' head where the chip should be. Instead, when he lifted back the skin flap, he didn't see a chip port like on a normal Terminator. Then again, Marcus wasn't a normal Terminator.

"There's no chip port," he reported audibly. Marcus reached up, as if not believing John and wanting to feel for himself.

"Where would it be?" Blair asked.

John frowned, thinking. If the chip was somehow partially controlling Marcus, it would probably have to be right near his brain.

"Back of the head, maybe," he suggested. He began to make a second incision there, hearing a strangled huff of annoyance from Blair.

"Are we just going to keep cutting holes in him until we find it?" Her tone was definitely agitated, but he could feel the pain there as well. Seeing Marcus being cut up was getting to her.

Just like seeing Cameron damaged had always gotten to him.

He finished the incision and spotted it. It looked nothing like the normal terminator chip, more of a square patch on the back of Marcus's metal skull. John reached for it, but Marcus's hands were suddenly in the way.

"Let me, Connor," he growled.

John stepped back and watched Marcus rip the chip out and crush it in his bare, metal hands.

Blair sighed and John nodded quickly. The first hurdle was done. Now they needed to figure out where Allison was being held.

"So you say you don't know where they would have taken her?" John ventured.

Marcus stared at him. "I can find out," he assured. "I'll find her, Connor. I promised you that."

John nodded slowly, hearing the determination in Marcus's voice. "How?"

"Take me to the bunker where she was captured."

"What will that do?"

"Well for one, we can make sure she truly was captured, maybe find a survivor. Secondly, if I know the location of where she was captured, I may be able to determine the most likely location they would have taken her to."

John nodded his consent. "Alright. Let's head out. We've got a long walk ahead of us."

*********

**Depot 32**

John glanced around cautiously before stepping into Depot 32, his boot steps echoing loudly in the silent hallway. "Does Skynet have a prison camp close by?" he asked Marcus.

"Connor, Skynet has prison camps everywhere," came the reply. "We can't search each one."

"We're not too far from the ocean," John thought aloud. "What about the prison barge? That aircraft carrier? I was captive on it once. Maybe they took her there."

"John…" Blair interrupted, her voice grave. John looked over to see her standing over the body of a human soldier. John ran forward and crouched down beside the soldier, dropping his gun at his side, recognizing the resistance fighter immediately.

"Jason…" John said quietly. He was vaguely aware of Blair's footsteps clacking around the corner. He reached out and checked the soldier's pulse, though he knew deep down that it was no use. There was no way the Terminators would have left anyone in this place alive.

John reached forward and slowly closed Jason's eyelids. "I'm sorry, buddy."

Blair came back around the corner. "Three more dead."

_Not just dead_, John thought to himself. Looking at Jason's wrist, John noticed that something was missing.

The Connor Camp bracelet.

Which meant that the machines had caught onto his trick. And that meant Cameron would soon know and Allison's use would run out. He had to move fast.

"I don't understand," Marcus murmured, his tone puzzled. "Why would the machines kill all these soldiers and only take Allison prisoner?"

John hesitated before swallowing hard. There was no getting around it. He had to tell them the truth, even if they thought he was crazy. It was his only hope. "Because they were looking specifically for Allison."

Marcus held his gaze evenly. "Why? Why her?"

"Skynet has created a new infiltrator unit," John began. "A Terminator whose only purpose is to get into my camp and kill me. Skynet found out that Allison is close to me and they'd been searching for her. And now they have her."

"Why do they need her?" Blair asked, confusion evident in her voice and on her face. "How does taking her away from you accomplish anything?"

"It doesn't," John replied. "Skynet isn't going to keep Allison away from me. They will send her back. But it won't be the same Allison."

Blair held up a hand, her forehead scrunched up. "I'm not sure I follow."

"They are using her as a template for the infiltrator," John explained. "Making a copy of her, a skin sheath so that the infiltrator unit will look identical to Allison. Then they send her back to my camp, pretending to be Allison."

"How do you know all this?" Marcus demanded.

And that was it. John was cornered. There was no where to go but forward, to drop the bombshell that hardly anyone would believe. _Then again_, he thought as he stared back at Marcus. _Who would have believed a Terminator could have a heart?_

"Because… I'm not from here," John took a deep breath. "I'm from the past. I was born in 1984. I time traveled to this future from 2009. Soldiers and machines had come back in time from the future, some to protect me and my mother, and some to kill us. That's the reason why I know how the machines work. I knew about Skynet, about the T-800s, the Triple 8s. I know about liquid metal, the T-1000 -- things that haven't been built yet. I know about time travel and I know what has to happen to ensure that we win."

Both Blair and Marcus were looking at him skeptically. "Time travel," Blair began dubiously. She cast a sideways glance at Marcus and the skepticism faded. "Well, I suppose anything is possible." Her eyes met John's. "We trust you."

Marcus started through the bunker towards the front door again. John and Blair hurried to catch up.

"So Skynet only took Allison prisoner," Marcus mused. "Only took the females."

"Only the ones who matched Allison's profile," John agreed. "And they found her."

"So this Skynet base will have to be equipped with the capabilities of producing human tissue," Marcus deduced. He opened the door to the bunker. "I think the barge had that. I can't be sure. I'm no longer linked to Skynet, but I am half Terminator. I still know some things."

"To the barge then," John offered, hoping - now that they had a true destination and a tough one - that Marcus and Blair wouldn't change their minds about his suicidal rescue mission. To his relief, they both nodded slowly.

"To the barge," they echoed in synch.

***********

**En route to Skynet Prison Barge**

They'd been walking for hours in the darkness, stepping through the ruins of the city, over the bleached skulls. From his position in the lead, John glanced back over his shoulder at his companions.

Blair was right behind him, with Marcus trailing a few feet back, his head hanging down and looking at his hand, obviously thinking hard about something.

"Hey," John called back softly. "You okay?"

Marcus kept staring down at his hand, at the torn flesh and the metal shining underneath. "Connor, what am I?"

John pursed his lips. "I don't know."

"Why would Skynet have done this to me?"

It wasn't rhetorical. John realized that Marcus truly wanted an answer. He wasn't just speaking out of emotion or grief over what he'd become. He truly wanted to understand why.

"It looks like Skynet was trying to harness human brainpower," John guessed. It was the only explanation he could think of that made sense. "That chip they put in your skull? It was attempting to control your brain."

"What would that do?" Blair asked with a frown.

"Humans have several qualities that make us different from the machines," John began. "Our ability to feel, to love, to experience emotion, of course are devoid in the machines." _Most machines, _he added mentally.

"But," he continued. "We also possess the ability to create masterpieces, to write symphonies, to create works of art. We built an entire world, designed everything in it: buildings, vehicles, cities, lifestyles. The human brain has something that Skynet lacks: creativity. Skynet itself was born from human creativity."

John shrugged. "Maybe it realized that this creativity is missing in artificial intelligence. So it decided that the human brain could be useful. They tried to harness its power. I'm guessing you are the first, Marcus. But they failed. They might try again on a different type of subject, I don't know. But you're definitely unique."

Marcus started down at himself. "Yeah, unique," he murmured.

John chewed his lip thoughtfully. "I don't think they tampered with your brain in any way, though. They just tried to put a chip in to control it. You do still have your memories, right? From back when you were human?"

"I am human," Marcus insisted, his voice deadly serious.

John nodded slowly. "I know."

Marcus let out a deep breath. "Sorry, Connor."

John gave him a half-hearted smile. "No, it's my fault. I didn't choose my words carefully."

Blair was watching him silently, and John turned back to the path, starting to recognize the lapping of water on the shore and the smell of salt water in the air.

As they neared the ocean's edge, he heard Blair clear her throat.

"I've always found you to be a mystery to me, Connor," she began. "But I think you're becoming less of a mystery every moment I spend with you. Why would the leader of mankind, the man dedicated to fighting and stopping the machines, be the one to believe me and Marcus when everyone else condemned us?" She shook her head, as if she still couldn't fathom it. "Why you? Why do you understand?"

John pursed his lips, standing still and looking back at her. "Why do you think?"

Blair's eyes were strong and she didn't hesitate. "Because you're just like me. I think that you cared for a machine."

John winced at the memories her words brought up. Sure enough, she'd been right on the mark.

"I don't know when or how," Blair continued. "But I believe you loved one. And I think that everyone else tried to tell you that it was just metal underneath, but you knew better. You knew she wasn't like the others, she was different. But no one trusted your opinion, no one trusted your heart…" She paused, gauging his reaction. "Am I right?"

John closed his eyes. Of course she was right. She was exactly right. He was just like her. Derek and his mother had always been trying to remind him of what Cameron really was, trying to convince him that she was just a machine. They hadn't believed him when he said she was different. They hadn't liked the way he would respond to her presence. They hadn't trusted him. But he'd trusted his heart. Because he knew he was right.

"Her name was Cameron," he offered, his voice softening as he began talking about her. "She was a cyborg, sent from the future to protect me. She saved my life… several times." He shook his head, smiling sadly. "I'd always known she was different. She wasn't like the rest of the machines. She could feel… she felt emotions. Anger, frustration, jealousy…" His eyes softened as he added, "…love. She told me once, but I didn't believe her. I thought it was a trick." He could feel tears pricking at his eyes, but he refused to cry. "But then I came to learn… I loved her too. And she'd been telling the truth. She told me that." His voice broke as he finished, "She's gone now."

He met Blair's eyes and found them to be filled with compassion and grief. "I'm sorry, John. Truly I am."

"Yeah," John mumbled softly. "Me too."

"It's her, isn't it?" Blair asked suddenly. "The infiltrator who captured Allison. The one who will take Allison's place. It's Cameron."

"Yes."

"But you care about Allison too," Blair continued, speaking as though she was trying to work out a math problem out loud. "That's why we're going to rescue her. But if we save Allison, Cameron won't be created… You're sacrificing Cameron."

John swallowed the lump in his throat. He already knew this was true. Weaver had assured him of what would happen if he rescued Allison. Besides screwing up the timeline, he would be forfeiting his chance to finally reunite with the one he loved more than anything.

"I know," he whispered. "But I have to. I… I can't let an innocent person die because I chose not to help." He'd done that before, by not helping Riley when he'd had the chance.

Riley had died because of his apathy. And even now he still felt the guilt. He couldn't let Allison's death be on his hands too. Even if it meant losing what meant the most to him.

"I'm supposed to be leading these people," he continued. "What kind of example does that set? John Connor does things for his own ends. He sacrifices human lives to make sure a machine gets built?" He shook his head. "I can't be like that. I can't be selfish."

"Shhh!" Marcus growled, gesturing towards the barge that was floating just offshore. "You want us to get caught before we even get on?"

John felt a little miffed at being told off by the hybrid, but he certainly understood Marcus' point. "Right," he whispered back. "How exactly are you planning to get us on?"

"We swim to the barge and climb up the ropes that are anchoring it," Marcus replied simply.

"What about hydrobots?" John asked, shuddering as he remembered the creatures that had nearly killed him in the river. "If we swim out there with those things in the water, we're signing up to be a banquet."

"Wait here," Marcus muttered before he waded out into the water.

"Wouldn't be a banquet," Blair corrected John as she watched Marcus. "Hydrobots don't technically eat you. They just rip you apart."

"Yeah, like that's a whole lot better," John grumbled.

Marcus emerged from the water, calling out, "It's clear!"

Blair, completely trusting of Marcus, was the first to enter the water. John hesitated by the edge. "How can you be sure?"

"The hydrobots only patrols areas where humans are likely to be," Marcus replied. "They aren't needed here. I only know of one person stupid enough to try to break _into _a Skynet work camp."

"Hey," John retorted. "You volunteered to come too."

"What if a prisoner escapes?" Blair asked reasonably. "Wouldn't they have hydrobots waiting to recapture them?"

John shook his head, remembering his own experience on the prison ship. "They have nets to capture escaped prisoners."

"What if there are hydrobots in the area and they see or hear us in the water?" Blair questioned uneasily.

"Then I'll protect you," Marcus promised. "They won't attack me because I'm a machine and I can tell them not to kill you guys."

John took a deep breath before entering the water and starting toward the barge. It wasn't anchored that far off the shore, so the swim wasn't very difficult for any of them.

But climbing up the ropes that anchored the barge might be a problem. Blair stared up at the ship that towered at least five stories above her head.

"We're supposed to climb five stories up a rope using only arm power?" she asked skeptically. John nodded slowly and she shrugged. "Awesome, let's go."

She reached for the rope, but Marcus stopped her. "No."

John frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I'll climb up and you two can hold onto my legs," Marcus replied.

Blair scowled at him angrily. "I'm not weak, you know."

"No," Marcus agreed whole-heartedly. "But I'm stronger than both of you put together and you're going to need all your strength to fight our way off this thing once we get Allison. We can't have you both exhausted from the climb."

It made sense and John waited as Marcus pulled himself out of the water, then grabbed onto the hybrid's leg.

"Hold on tight," Marcus warned. Both Blair and John got a strong grip on Marcus' legs and the hybrid began climbing up the rope, dragging both Blair and John with him.

"I want to thank you, Connor," Marcus said as he pulled them along, not even appearing out of breath.

John looked up, puzzled. "For what?"

"For letting me go," Marcus replied smoothly. "For accepting that I'm not like the others. You're a good man."

John smiled to himself. The rest of the climb was silent until Marcus hauled them all over the edge and onto the ship's deck. John looked up in the darkness, seeing the moonlit silhouette of the lookout tower he'd seen his first time on the barge.

"You know I just escaped from this place not too long ago," he muttered. "Feels weird coming back on willingly."

"Look! Helicopter," Blair whispered. John looked across the carrier's long deck to see the dark shape over on a helicopter pad.

"Why would Skynet have a helicopter here?" Blair hissed.

"Well, when they're out at sea, the Terminators need a way to get back to shore if they are needed," John pointed out. "Lucky for us it's still here. That'll make it easy to get back to shore."

They crawled stealthily across the surface and opened the porthole, entering the barge's main level. John could feel his heart start thumping loudly as they made their way towards the interrogation room. If he remembered correctly, it should be not far up ahead.

Marcus grabbed his sleeve and yanked him behind the corner as a dark shape passed by the hallway down at the other end. _Terminator, _John realized. He hadn't focused close enough to recognize the model. John took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. The key here was to remain hidden, to keep from being discovered. An early alert could compromise their chances of getting Allison out safely.

As they continued on, John finally recognized one of the hallways he had been dragged through when he'd been a prisoner here.

"Almost there…" he whispered.

*********

**Skynet Prison Barge**

**Interrogation Chamber**

Allison Young heard the door close, saw the dark shape enter.

Her interrogator was back to using the single bright light that made her squint into the darkness where Cameron stood in the shadows, obscured from view. This interrogation would be different, Allison realized.

But what really confused her was why they were having it at all.

She'd disclosed the coordinates of the Connor Camp, knowing full well that without the bracelet, Cameron would be destroyed on sight. But why was the Terminator still here? Had she realized Allison was lying about something? The Connor Camp wasn't far away but surely she hadn't been out to there yet.

If she had, Cameron would be dead. Or she'd be inside. With John who would be waiting for her.

Allison shoved that thought out of her mind.

"You lied to me."

Cameron's cold voice came from the shadows and Allison looked up, still squinting from the light. "I told you where the camp was," she replied in a low voice.

"You told me your sister gave you that bracelet," Cameron responded.

Allison felt a brief flash of panic. Did Cameron know? Did she suspect? She forced her face to remain calm. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Cameron stepped forward until Allison could clearly see the machine's face in the light. Cameron held out her hand and Allison caught a flash of silver before she focused on the objects. The Connor camp bracelets.

"We found these on some of your friends," Cameron stated. Her hand opened slowly and one by one the metal bracelets plunked down onto the table. With each one that dropped, Allison felt a stabbing pain in her heart.

_She knows. She has to know. _

Cameron stared down at her. "Why are you all wearing them?" Allison kept her eyes on the table, trying not to start shaking uncontrollably. This was it. This was the end. Cameron knew the truth. And Cameron would kill her.

"It has something to do with the Connor Camp," Cameron began.

"No," Allison said quickly. _Too quickly. _But it didn't matter. Cameron had already figured it out.

The cyborg's tone was hushed when she revealed, "It's a pass."

Allison slowly lifted her eyes to stare into the cold face of the Terminator.

"To get into the camp," Cameron continued. "You were going to send me there without it; they would have known what I was."

Allison knew it was coming. She didn't flinch. Didn't look away. She merely stared defiantly into Cameron's eyes. The machine reached forward and grasped Allison's neck.

Allison felt the pain instantly, heard Cameron's angry voice saying, "You lied to me."

The pressure on her neck increased and Allison felt herself being lifted into the air. Her hand instinctively grasped Cameron's arm, though she knew there was nothing in the world that could break the Terminator's death grip.

She could barely feel the pain anymore, becoming numb to it. In fact, the only thing she felt right now was an intense sense of loss.

_I'm sorry, John. I can't hold on anymore_. She wouldn't be alive when he found her. And he would find her, she no longer had any doubt. He'd promised. _And John Connor always keeps his promises._

The machine's unwavering gaze never flinched and Allison matched Cameron's death stare, her eyes defiant and strong. "I'll never help you get to John Connor."

Cameron's hand tightened, Allison heard the sharp crack, the surreal sound of her own neck breaking.

She saw John's face flash in front of her eyes.

Then…

Nothing.

***********

As TOK715 reached across the table and gripped Allison's neck in her iron grip, she studied her captive. She felt the sensation of anger at Allison's deception, the way the girl had lied in order to protect John.

But it was that loyalty and devotion to John Connor that intrigued TOK715. After everything she had been through, even after Allison recognized the truth that John knew he was sending her to her death. Even so, she still would not betray him.

It was love, unconditional love. Allison had been right. It was something TOK715 had never experienced before.

"I'll never help you get to John Connor," Allison whispered, even at the end, refusing to betray him.

TOK715's fingers clenched and she registered the satisfying crack, watching the life snuffed out of Allison Young in the blink of an eye. Her fingers opened and the prisoner slumped to the table, already dead.

She reached over and plucked the silver bracelet from Allison's wrist before staring down at Allison Young's lifeless body.

"You already did," she stated before heading towards the door.

************

Marcus yanked John backwards behind the corner as a Terminator walked out of what John remembered to be the interrogation chamber. In the darkness, he couldn't see the machine very well, though he could definitely tell it had a skin sheath. Maybe it was the same one that had walked past the hallway a few minutes ago.

It didn't look their way, continuing at a quickened pace. It was on a mission, John realized. Something crucially important.

He glanced up at Marcus, who appeared to be scanning the area. "Go," the hybrid whispered.

John ducked around the corner and paused in front of the interrogation room, his hand on the door. What if the Terminator that had just left wasn't the only one interrogating the prisoners? What if he was about to walk in on one?

John tried to listen inside, but heard nothing. Either nothing was making a sound inside the room, or it was too soundproof to hear anything. Marcus and Blair came up behind John, Marcus with his hand on his rifle, ready to leap into action if there was a surprise inside the interrogation room.

There was a surprise all right.

Just not the one John had expected.

He shoved open the door, glancing around the room, hastily checking for threats. Nothing moved and finally John's gaze settled on the petite form that lay draped across the table, his eyes widening in horror as he recognized who it was.

_Allison…_

John's heart leaped into his throat as he rushed to her side, turning her over gently, praying that she was merely unconscious. Her lifeless eyes stared back at him and he choked, jerking backwards and dropping to the ground, tears springing instantly into his eyes as he buried his face in his hands.

_Oh, God, no… why? Why her? Why couldn't I stop it?_

He was aware of Marcus and Blair silently entering the room, looked up through tear-filled eyes to see Marcus reach over and close Allison's eyes.

It still didn't make anything better.

Because she was still dead.

He had failed.

He had failed her.

Even from his position on the floor, he could still see exactly how Allison had been killed. The bruising around her throat and the unnatural angles of the bones told him that all too well. Cameron - no, _TOK715 -_ had broken her neck.

John couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't _think. _

"It's my fault," he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. "I was too late."

Blair was instantly at his side, her face hard and commanding. "This is not your fault, John. This is nobody's fault. It's sick is what is it, but there's nothing either of us could have done to change it."

He shook his head, closing his eyes in grief. Somehow he knew she was right. It didn't matter what he did, Allison still would have died. Just like Judgment Day still happened. It was fate. Some things had a way of working out the way they were destined too. And he couldn't change it, couldn't change her fate, couldn't take back her future.

And he hated it.

_We lose everyone we love. _The thought brought a fresh wave of tears and he saw Allison's smiling face in his mind's eye, her kind eyes staring back at him as they lay together and looked up at the stars.

Her soft words rose like a cry from within.

_I'll always remember this._

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: [John picks up his radio unit.] TOK715: John? It's Allison. Where are you? MARCUS: Connor, we have to go. Now! [TOK715 stands over John, staring down at him.] JOHN: Don't… This isn't you. [John aims a helicopter's turret at a brawling Cameron and Marcus] MARCUS: Do it, Connor! [John presses the trigger.]_


	20. Born to Love

_Previously on Born to Fight:[Allison takes a bullet for John when a Gray invades their bunker.] JOHN: Why did you do that? ALLISON: Because… you're John Connor. [John angrily interrogates the Gray who shot her] JOHN: You've put the girl I lo—(stops abruptly and starts again) You've put one of my only true friends in the hospital. [Allison and John look up at the stars] ALLISON: I'll always remember this. JOHN: She's walking into a trap. ALLISON: (on radio, frantically) They're here, John! JOHN: I'm coming to save you. I promise. [Allison meets her interrogator] TOK715: You shouldn't have run. You're just making things worse for yourself. Tell me where his camp is. MARCUS: My name is Marcus Wright. JOHN: I need him. He can help me find Allison. [Marcus escapes into the river and saves John from the hydrobots] MARCUS: I'm the only hope you have. I can help you find her. BLAIR: Why would the man dedicated to fighting and stopping the machines be the one to believe me and Marcus? Because you're just like me. You cared for a machine. By saving Allison, you're sacrificing Cameron. [John, Marcus, and Blair board the barge] TOK715: (grabs Allison by the neck) You lied to me. ALLISON: I'll never help you get to John Connor. TOK715: (snaps Allison's neck and takes her bracelet pass.) You already did. [John ducks into the shadows as the interrogator leaves the room. He enters and sees Allison dead] BLAIR: John, this is not your fault. JOHN: I was too late…_

**Chapter Twenty:**

**Born to Love**

**Camp Toto**

**A.K.A. Connor Camp**

TOK715 stepped out of the helicopter at the coordinates Allison Young had given her, the location of the hidden Connor Camp. Upon primary inspection, she realized that Connor's base was a full nuclear fall-out shelter. Virtually impossible to break into.

But she didn't need to break in.

She stood in front of the door and held up her wrist, showing Allison's ID bracelet. It didn't take long for the doors to open and TOK715 stepped into the bunker.

"Allison," a soldier said brightly, a wide grin on his face as he saluted her. "Welcome back."

TOK715 didn't respond to the man, staring instead down at the German Shepherd dogs that had begun barking and growling at her as soon as she'd entered. The dog handlers seemed to be struggling to hold back the vicious animals.

"Cut it out!" the soldier who had greeted her ordered, shouting at the animals. Most of the dogs seemed to back down a little at his firm command, though they didn't stop growling and snarling.

One dog in the middle was barking almost frantically, never backing down. TOK715 cocked her head and studied the animal. It was braver than the others, smarter too.

"Max!" the soldier shouted angrily. "Shut up! It's just Allison!"

The soldier turned back around and suddenly TOK715's hand was around his neck, fingers squeezing the life out of the soldier.

Instantly the dog handlers released their dogs, screaming out a warning, "Terminator!"

TOK715 smashed her fist into the head of the first dog, sending it yelping to the ground. The second and third met the same fate as the first solder. One by one she terminated all the life forms in the area until only one dog remained.

The Max dog. It was still growling, baring its teeth, but it wasn't attacking, having realized it would be killed instantly if it did. TOK715 almost disliked to terminate such a devoted creature.

She lifted her gun and pulled the trigger.

Before the rest of the Connor Camp soldiers could arrive at the scene, TOK715 opened the bunker door, allowing a quartet of Triple 8's to enter the building and begin stalking down the halls, the sound of rapid gunfire informing TOK715 that they were doing their job well.

However, the Resistance fighters had plasma rifles and TOK715 was forced to use her own Terminators as a shield while she took out the humans with the heavy weapons.

One Terminator must have found their armory and was guarding it because several of the soldiers she ran into had not been given a chance to get their more powerful weapons.

She picked her way through the crowd of bodies and carnage, running a scan of anyone who fit the profile of John Connor. From what she could tell, Connor was not here. Either Allison Young had lied again or Connor just happened to be gone at this time.

She suddenly regretted killing Allison since the girl had obviously died carrying a secret.

As she came around the corner, she saw one injured soldier move for his communication device.

Instead of shooting the man, TOK715 settled for stalking forward. Perhaps the soldier was attempting to contact John Connor…

**************

**Skynet Prison Barge**

**Interrogation Chamber**

John Connor sat numbly in the interrogation chamber, cradling Allison Young's lifeless body in his arms and gently stroking her hair. Neither Marcus nor Blair appeared to have moved, though John could barely see straight through the tears in his eyes. He hadn't known he was physically capable of crying so much.

This felt completely different than when Cameron had died. Because Cameron hadn't technically died. He'd always had the hope to cling to, that knowledge that he would be able to bring her back. He had come all the way to the future on the belief that he would be able to bring her back.

But nothing could bring Allison back.

And that made it all the worse.

_Human beings can't be replaced. They can't be rebuilt. They die and they never come back. _

"John…" Blair spoke softly. "We can't stay here."

He didn't have a chance to answer. He wasn't even sure if he would have. His radio unit crackled and John picked up the device.

"Who is this?" he asked, aware of how hoarse and hollow his voice sounded.

"Connor!"

John frowned, suddenly on high alert at the man's frantic cry. It was Bates, a soldier at the Connor Camp.

"Connor! They're here, they're—."

John heard the terrifying sound of rapid gunfire that sounded as if it was right on top of the radio unit.

"Bates?" he demanded. There was no reply, complete silence except for methodical footsteps that grew louder as they approached Bates's body. Then the noises stopped and John held his breath.

"John?"

John's heart stopped. It was Allison's voice, _Cameron_'s voice coming through the device. Without thinking, he whispered, "Cameron…"

"John," Cameron repeated, her voice wavering slightly. "It's Allison. Where are you?"

John hastily clicked off the transmitter, his heart beating rapidly as he stared back down at Allison's body. It was happening, he realized. Cameron had come for him at the Connor Camp, just like she had said.

Blair was staring at him worriedly. "John, we can't stay here," she repeated.

Before John could reply, Marcus's head snapped up and looked toward the door mere seconds before it burst open, revealing a T-800 endoskeleton.

Marcus moved faster than John was able to track, gripping the barrel of the Terminator's weapon, spinning the rifle in a complete 180, and firing the blast into the machine's head, right where the chip port was.

It had happened in a split second, but apparently Marcus hadn't been fast enough to stop the Terminator from sending out some kind of SOS signal to its friends.

An alarm began blaring throughout the facility.

"Connor," Marcus said crisply, stepping over the downed T-800's body to check the corridor. "We have to go. Now."

John started to lift Allison's body. "I have to ---"

"Leave her," Marcus snapped. "There's no time. We need to move."

John stared back defiantly. He wanted to snap at Marcus, to remind him that Wright didn't understand, that he was only half human. Instead he gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "I'm bringing her home…"

"You can't fight if you're carrying her," Marcus argued.

Blair stepped between them, her eyes locking on John. She spoke firmly, but with complete understanding and compassion. "He's right, John. You can't help her anymore. She wouldn't want you to get us killed."

John hesitated but he knew that Blair was right, on all counts. He reluctantly lay Allison's body back down on the floor, hating himself for doing so. What would Skynet do with her body? Study it? Throw it into the river? She didn't deserve that.

John forced himself to focus, charging up his plasma rifle and following Marcus and Blair out the door and into the maze of hallways.

"The Terminators need to be able to get off the barge, right?" he panted as he ran. "That helicopter up on the pad. We can use it to escape."

"I can fly it," Blair agreed.

John ducked around the corner, coming face to face with an endoskeleton that had answered the first Terminator's alert.

The machine's arm came down and John threw up his rifle to block the deadly weapon, only partially succeeding. The rifle bent under the pressure, nearly snapping in half and the force knocked John to his knees.

The important thing was he was still alive.

Before the Terminator could try again, John heard the plasma rifle sing out and in a split second, the right side of the Terminator's head was no more. Marcus lowered his rifle, his face betraying no emotion whatsoever.

"We have to keep moving," he said crisply. "They'll be sending more for us."

He started down the hallway at a run and John hurried after, the blaring alarm only hastening his pace. It took a while to retrace their steps back towards the exit, with Marcus having to take out several attacking Terminators on the way.

Finally, John saw the portal up ahead, relief washing over his entire body at the sight.

"There it is!" Blair shouted.

A dark figure stepped out of the shadows and blocked their path. Marcus didn't even break stride, charging into the Terminator and knocking it to the ground.

"Go up! Go!" he cried.

John dodged the dueling cyborgs and climbed up the ladder, opening the port cover and stepping out into the dark night, turning around to help Blair up after him.

He glanced back down the hole to see Marcus kick the Terminator's head back at an unnatural angle, then delivering a plasma blast that completely knocked its head off its body. Marcus shot it once more to destroy the chip, then clambered up the ladder after John and Blair.

"Now we're home free…" Blair began.

The tower's spotlight flipped on, surrounding them in its piercing bright beam. At the edge of the light, John spotted an endo coming from the tower and held up his rifle, only to remember that it had been crushed by the first guard Terminator.

"Endo!" he shouted frantically as the machine advanced on them. "Three o clock!"

Marcus whipped his rifle around as the endo threw a metal punch, sending Marcus flying backwards, his plasma rifle skidding across the deck and catapulting off the edge into the water below.

Before the endo could do any more damage, Blair's plasma bolt shot out of her rifle, blowing off the machine's head.

Marcus scrambled to his feet. "Let's go! Go!"

They rushed across the deck, heading for the helicopter pad.

"I'll fire it up!" Blair shouted, running for the chopper.

John stopped suddenly, a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. _Something's off… _He frowned trying to pinpoint the problem exactly. Something was different about the helicopter, the angle it was sitting on was different than when they'd first entered the barge. His eyes locked on the chopper and in the bright spotlight that was still shining on them he saw it: the engine was still giving off a little bit of steam.

Which meant it had just landed.

"No, Blair, wait!" John shouted.

Blair paused halfway up the step into the cockpit, turning to regard him. John saw a flash of silver and something shot forward from the inside of the helicopter. He watched in shock and horror as the steel pike plunged into Blair's chest and out the other side. Her mouth opened in a gasp of pain and he heard an inhuman roar of anguish and rage coming from Marcus. Blair's attacker stepped out of the helicopter.

John's blood froze and his heart stopped cold.

_Cameron._

She met his gaze briefly before she knocked Blair to the ground and slid the pike back out of her body, ignoring the cry of pain from the fallen soldier.

John watched, paralyzed with fear and horror, as Cameron snapped her gaze towards him, her cold emotionless eyes serving to remind him that she wasn't the Cameron he knew and loved.

Marcus charged forward with a shout and Cameron swung the pike, slamming it into Marcus' head and knocked him off to the side. In the next instant, she was right beside John.

He stumbled backwards, falling to the ground as she stood over him, cocking her head and studying him.

_Why aren't you killing me? _He thought desperately. Could it be possible that she was hesitating because she recognized him?

"Don't…" he whispered. "This isn't you."

"John Connor, identity confirmed," she stated, a ghost of a smile appearing on her face as she identified her target. He realized now why she'd hesitated. It wasn't because she felt anything for him. She had heard his voice patterns from the radio call but she hadn't seen his face. By speaking now, he'd just given her a positive ID.

Cameron's hand reached down but suddenly her body jerked backward. John saw Marcus appear behind her, delivering another hit to the back of her legs with the pike. Cameron lost her balance and dropped to the ground.

John scrambled to his feet, jumping clear when Cameron's deadly hand reached to grasp his leg. Marcus swung the pike at Cameron again, who blocked it with her forearm. John could hear the loud clang of metal on metal.

He ran across the deck towards the helicopter, sliding up to Blair and desperately inspecting her injury. The wound was bleeding a lot, too much, he realized. And it was right near her heart.

She needed a doctor. Right now.

John looked up to see Marcus still going man to man with Cameron, who seemed to be gaining the upper hand. And though it made his blood boil to see the hybrid punching Cameron in the face, he knew it was necessary. Cameron was faster, stronger, and more deadly than Marcus. She was also lighter, which meant that if Marcus got a good enough grip, he could throw her around a bit, but it wouldn't damage Cameron. Marcus wouldn't be able to overpower her. He wouldn't be able to win this fight.

Unless John helped him. He climbed up into the helicopter and positioned himself behind the turret, aiming it at the two metal fighters.

His finger paused above the trigger, but he took one look at Cameron and knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't shoot her. He'd just lost Allison, he wouldn't lose her too.

"Do it, Connor!" Marcus shouted as Cameron slammed her fist into his gut, knocking the wind out of his human lungs.

John shook his head numbly, releasing the gun. If Marcus felt betrayed by John's action, or lack thereof, he didn't show it. Instead, the hybrid swung his leg up, his powerful kick knocking Cameron backwards. John watched in horror as Marcus dove for Blair's plasma rifle, swinging it around to point at Cameron.

Suddenly the turret was back in John's grip and he was squeezing the trigger. Not at Cameron's head, but at Marcus's hand. The rounds hit the hybrid's hand, tearing up the skin and causing Marcus to drop the rifle. He looked over at John wide-eyed and accusingly, and John shot back.

"Don't kill her!"

Marcus must have finally understood because he reached for Cameron again, grabbing her by her jacket and spinning, building enough momentum to send John's future Terminator protector hurtling right over the edge of the barge.

John knew she would survive the fall. But it still hurt to watch.

Marcus didn't waste any time. He ran forward, scooping Blair effortlessly into his arms and climbing onto the helicopter. Once onboard, the hybrid clutched Blair tightly to his chest, shouting, "Go, Connor!"

"Me?" John swallowed hard. Flying had never been his strong suit.

"Go, Connor," Blair whispered hoarsely. "I taught you well."

With her words of encouragement lodged in his mind, John scrambled into the pilot's seat and started the engine sequence, hearing the steady thumping of the rotor blades beginning to spin.

Something outside the window caught his eye and he watched with shock as Cameron's hand appeared on the edge of the deck, pulling herself up onto the platform once more. John realized she must have climbed up the anchor's ropes the same way Marcus had.

She was dripping wet with a look of murder on her face.

A sudden thought struck him. The barge had to have a computer system inside. He still had the Terminator chip in his pocket, the one with her memories stored on it, the chip itself sealed in a small water and fireproof container along with her picture. He could capture Cameron right now, restore her memories...

"Connor!" Marcus's voice was sharp and commanding, but John recognized the strain of desperation as well. He looked back. Blair wouldn't survive much longer. He didn't have any time to waste. He needed to leave now.

Cameron reached into a storage container on the deck and pulled out a gun, raising it to fire. John jerked up on the control stick, tipping the helicopter's nose up so that her bullets hit the underside of the chopper and ricocheted off the metal. He pushed the vehicle harder, blinking away the tears that were streaming down his face as he left the barge - as well as Cameron and Allison - behind.

He quickly buried the thought. He needed to focus on flying and he couldn't do that if he let his emotions get the best of him.

From the back he heard Marcus's voice pleading, "Stay with me, Blair. You'll be alright…"

John swallowed the lump in his throat. How could anyone still stand by the belief that Marcus was just a machine? The hybrid clearly had a heart, he _loved _just like a human did.

Because he _was _human.

John heard a small gasp of pain from Blair and Marcus' voice called out hard and determined, directed at John this time.

"Hurry."

************

**Skynet Prison Barge**

**Main Deck**

TOK715 stared after the helicopter as it disappeared into the night sky, feeling a flicker of what a human would call frustration. John Connor had evaded her once more.

Even before his voice had confirmed it, she had suspected that the young human was Connor for several reasons, and not just because he had fit Skynet's general profile of the man. John had not been at the Connor Camp and he had hung up on her quickly after she had told him she was Allison.

Which meant he knew Allison was dead because he was right there in the interrogation chamber with her.

On top of that, no one else would have cared about Allison enough to risk their lives on a suicidal mission to retrieve her. Only John Connor cared enough to attempt the impossible.

And to think that she would have been able to terminate him if only she had stayed with Allison a little longer instead of going to the Connor Camp. John Connor had come for the prisoner while she was gone. Of course, she still would have completed her mission if the hybrid had not broken free of his programming and aided the human. Now, she would have to try a new tactic in order to find John again.

Skynet's orders came in quickly and TOK715 moved to complete them, preparing to leave the barge for the location she'd been directed to.

According to Skynet, her interrogation skills would be needed soon.

************

**Serrano Point**

**Hangar Bay**

John landed the helicopter in Serrano Point and leaped out, spotting Kyle running up to meet them. As soon as his father caught sight of Marcus, he raised his rifle, shouting, "Metal!"

John grabbed the end of Kyle's gun and shoved it away from Marcus. "He's with me, Kyle," he said firmly.

Kyle hesitated, still looking at Marcus with mistrust before the hybrid scooped Blair up into his arms and stepped down off the helicopter. Kyle's eyes widened with horror. "Blair…" He gestured frantically to some of the other soldiers. "Get her to the medbay, hurry!"

Marcus hurried off, following the soldiers, and Kyle stared at John, his eyes wide and questioning. "You went to rescue Allison, didn't you? Where is she?"

John swallowed hard. He'd spent the entire escape and flight from the barge suppressing the memory of Allison's death, of the emotions he'd felt. But Kyle's words brought it all flowing back.

John blinked rapidly before starting down the hall, mumbling. "I have to help Blair…"

"John!" Kyle grabbed John's jacket sleeve and turned him around, his eyes desperate and alight with fear. "John, where's is she? Where's Allison?"

John felt the hot tears begin streaming down his face and his voice broke as he whispered, "She's gone, Kyle. She's gone."

Kyle's hand slowly dropped from John's sleeve and he stared at John as if he was looking right past him, right through him. "How…?" he asked numbly.

"They were interrogating her," John said quietly. "And then they didn't have a use for her anymore. They…" he hesitated, but Kyle deserved to know what had happened. "They snapped her neck. She was dead when I got there."

He had never seen grief more absolute and heartbreaking than what was currently on Kyle Reese's face. His father started moving down the hall numbly. "We have to help Blair…" he murmured.

John and Kyle entered the infirmary at the same time. John hurried over to Lauren, quickly scanning the room. "Where's Sydney?"

"She stayed at Eagle Rock to provide them with medical assistance," Lauren said hastily. "I thought I'd have enough help here with Allis---." She trailed off and John swallowed hard, trying hard to get the image of Allison lying dead in the barge out of his mind.

Now was not the time to grieve. They needed to focus on saving Blair. "How is she?" John asked.

Lauren slowly shook her head, confirming John's worst fear. He crouched by Blair's bedside, gripping her hand tightly. "Hey, hey, Blair, listen to me. You gotta pull through this, alright? You're my best pilot. I need you." He cast a glance up at Marcus. "Marcus needs you."

Blair smiled weakly, and John stood up, his eyes searching Lauren's desperately. She couldn't be giving up on Blair, not like this. "There has to be something we can do."

"There's nothing, John," Lauren replied, shaking her head sadly. "Her heart can't take it."

The room was silent for a few seconds before John heard Marcus speak up softly. "Give her mine."

Lauren blinked twice, as if wondering if she'd heard him right. "What?"

"Give her mine," Marcus repeated.

Lauren seemed to be staring at Marcus with newfound respect for the machine that was offering his life for a human being.

Only one person seemed to have a problem with the offer.

"No," Blair whispered. "Can't let you…"

Marcus looked down at her, his eyes tender and loving. "It's always belonged to you anyway." He looked over at Lauren, his eyes strong and adamant. "Do it."

Lauren nodded mutely and began readying an injection for Marcus.

Kyle hesitantly took a step forward to address the hybrid. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "For helping John and for trying to rescue Allison. You're a good… man." He stuck out his hand and Marcus gripped it firmly.

And John could barely hold back the tears. Marcus was giving up his life for the one he loved. It was so much like him and Cameron. Cameron had offered her life many times over to save John's. If she were in this position, she'd do the same thing.

If only she had a heart to give.

Marcus leaned over Blair's cot and gave her a tender kiss. John looked away, his heart breaking. The hurt he felt was almost physical. He'd never got kiss Cameron, even after all she'd done to save him. And she wasn't human, not as human as Marcus was, but in some ways that only made her undying devotion even more real to him. Because she had to work harder to love him, she had to break free of core programming, she had to learn, and she had succeeded because she'd _wanted_ to love him, because he'd loved her.

Marcus lay down on the cot beside Blair and as Lauren inserted the needle into his arm, he gripped Blair's hand tightly, looking over at her.

"Now… my heart will always belong to you."

As his eyes drifted shut, the tears started flowing down Blair's cheeks. Marcus' last words hung in the air, his final display of love.

And John knew he had been right. _Human beings can't be replaced. They can't be rebuilt. They die and they never come back. _But it wasn't just for human beings.

It was for machines too. Some machines. Machines that had a specific chip, a specific entity, a specific equivalent of a soul and personality.

Machines like Marcus Wright.

Machines like Cameron.

**************

The transplant had been a huge success, partially due to the fact that Marcus' heart was naturally stronger than the average human's. Kyle and John had burned Marcus' body in a funeral pyre, as was the practice for all deaths in the resistance. Digging graves outside the base was not only dangerous, but with the numbers that died every die, it would be a full time job.

John stared silently into the hospital room where Blair lay asleep on the cot. She was still recovering, both from the surgery and the grief that went along with it.

The fact that she now had Marcus's heart tortured Blair, but it also brought her closer both to Marcus and to John. Because John understood. They had both lost the metal companion they'd loved. And both of their metal companions had sacrificed their own lives for them. The only difference was that John's was coming back someday. And he would have to kill her first in order to make it happen.

Just like she'd killed Allison.

The thought brought a fresh wave of pain and he slowly sunk to the floor, leaning back against the wall as he fought the emotions that threatened to surface.

Every time he was alone, he half-expected Allison to come through the door, ready to cheer him up with a smile. He half-expected to see her in the hallway, to see her walking beside him like she always did, completely loyal and trusting of him. Completely loving.

John tried to wipe his eyes as Kyle came around the corner. His father lowered his gaze before coming over and sitting down next to him on the floor. "You don't have to hide your tears, John," Kyle said softly. "I've been doing my fair share too. It's good to cry."

John nodded numbly. "She was the one who told me it was okay to grieve."

"It's what separates us from the machines," Kyle agreed, his voice thick and full of intense sadness. "We bury our dead. They don't bother."

"But we can't bury her," John said bitterly. "Skynet has her."

"Skynet has her body," Kyle corrected. "Not her soul. She's in a better place now. She's away from all the terrors of this war. She can finally have peace." He paused, lowering his eyes. "We're holding the funeral tonight outside. It's safe. We've already checked the air traffic, and the land mines will prevent any ground intrusion."

John remained silent, staring at the ground and Kyle reached over and gently patted him on the back. John looked up to see the tears streaming down Kyle's face, but his father forced a comforting smile. "We'll get through this."

And maybe they would get through it. Eventually. But today, John Connor could barely make himself function.

Everything was going wrong. Skynet was still growing stronger. Cameron was now gunning for him.

But the worst thing of all, the thing that had torn his heart out was the fact that Allison Young was now dead.

And a part of John Connor had died with her.

***********

**Outside Serrano Point**

John stood at the head of the crowd of Serrano Point soldiers as they gathered outside under the night sky for Marcus and Allison's funeral service.

"We are gathered here today," John began, his voice filled with grief. "To honor these brave fallen soldiers." He glanced down at the final resting place of Marcus Wright's ashes and the memorial they had set up for Allison. He felt a lump form in his throat just from looking at it.

Somehow seeing the marker made it all finally sink in completely. That this was really happening. That Allison was really gone forever.

_They die and they don't come back._

"Neither of them deserved this fate. You all remember Allison Young, the only bright spot in this dark future. She was the one who always found the silver lining. She could cheer anyone up, was always optimistic." He smiled through his tears, meeting eyes with Kyle for a brief moment and seeing the emotion reflected there as well. "She knew we would win this war," he continued. "She believed we could conquer. Hang in there, baby. She painted that slogan on the walls of our bunkers. Today, we lost a good soldier, but an even better friend. Already the world seems a little less bright." He glanced down at the memorial with tear-filled eyes. "She was my best frien--" He trailed off as his eyes unconsciously rose skyward to see the stars shining brightly overhead.

_I'll always remember this._

He swallowed hard and started his last sentence again. "She was the girl I loved." His eyes returned to the memorial. "I'm so sorry, Allison."

He wiped his eyes and glanced over at the gravestone that stood next to Allison's.

"And to the one who gave up everything to help me find her, who sacrificed his life for the one he loved." He looked up at Blair. Her gaze was strong and fierce, but he could see the tears shining in her eyes. He looked back at the grave where Marcus' ashes lay. And he knew in his heart that it wasn't a machine they had buried today.

"He was a man," John finished. "A man named Marcus Wright."

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: JOHN: Maybe I don't want to be John Connor anymore. How can I lead these people if I can't even stop the ones I love from dying? WEAVER: Skynet is building something. The time displacement equipment. JOHN: It's starting isn't it? WEAVER: It started a long time ago. You must track down Skynet's machine._


	21. Born to Grieve

_Previously on Born to Fight: TOK715: (grabs Allison by the neck) You lied to me. ALLISON: I'll never help you get to John Connor. TOK715: (snaps Allison's neck and takes her bracelet pass.) You already did. [John ducks into the shadows as the interrogator leaves the room. He enters and sees Allison dead] BLAIR: John, this is not your fault. JOHN: I was too late… [TOK715 enters the Connor Camp. Dogs begin barking] SOLDIER: Max! It's just Allison! [TOK715 shoots Max.] TOK715: (into radio) John? It's Allison. Where are you? MARCUS: Connor, we have to go. Now! [Blair runs for the helicopter. A steel pike pierces her through the heart and Cameron steps out, attacking John.] JOHN: Don't… this isn't you. [Cameron and Marcus brawl and Marcus throws Cameron off the ship. John flies back to Serrano.] KYLE: Where's Allison? JOHN: She's gone, Kyle. [Blair in infirmary] JOHN: There must be something we can do. LAUREN: Her heart can't take it. MARCUS: Give her mine. (lays down on the cot beside her as Lauren prepares to inject him) Now my heart will always belong to you. JOHN: Allison was the one who told me it was okay to grieve. KYLE: It's what separates us from the machines. We bury our dead. They don't bother. JOHN: Human beings can't be replaced. They die and they never come back._

**Chapter Twenty One:**

**Born to Grieve**

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

John sat silently on the cold floor of his quarters, unable to sleep, unable to get her off his mind. Allison's face, lifeless eyes staring back at him… it wasn't something he could easily forget. Not ever.

Weaver materialized from the ceiling again but John didn't even look up when she did. The liquid metal cyborg didn't seem to be at all bothered by the way he was ignoring her. Instead she remained quiet, waiting for him to speak.

Finally John couldn't take the silence anymore. He didn't care that Weaver was just a machine. He just needed _someone _or some_thing _to talk to.

"I failed her," he whispered, his voice hoarse from so much crying.

"It's not your fault," Weaver stated.

John forced a sarcastic smile. "Yeah, everybody says that. Never makes it any better." He drew in a deep, shaky breath. "She's still dead." He could feel the emotions begin building up inside and he swallowed hard, shaking his head. "And she would have died hating me."

"What she thought doesn't matter anymore," Weaver replied.

John slowly raised his eyes to stare at her darkly. "Right. Because you got what you wanted." His lip curled as he glared at her. "You only do things for your own ends. You don't care about me."

Weaver stared at him for a moment before saying, "I am sorry for your loss."

John chuckled humorlessly. "No you're not. You don't even know what that means. This was what you wanted. This was according to your plan. You wanted her to die."

"No," Weaver corrected. "I didn't want her to die. But she had to."

"Why?" John hissed through gritted teeth. "Because the future is already written and we're going through the motions?" The words just slipped out, the same way they had when he'd confronted Derek with the same problem. Why did everything have to happen in a certain way? Why couldn't he change things?

"In the first timeline, you defeated Skynet," Weaver explained. "Now, in order to do so again, we must make sure everything happens according to plan."

"And that plan includes Allison dying?"

"That was Allison's fate."

John scowled. "There is no fate but what we make."

"You really believe that?" Weaver questioned.

John was about to answer adamantly, then slowly closed his mouth. "I don't know." He shook his head, a bit stunned at the sudden realization. "I don't know what to believe anymore." His mother had always ardently supported the fact that there was only the fate that they made. But it hadn't helped much. Nothing they did had mattered. Judgment Day had still happened. So maybe this _was _the fate that they made. The fate that humans made for themselves.

"Maybe the future has been written, I don't know. All I know is that the future has a way of working out a certain way and there are some things we can't stop. We tried to stop Judgment Day, twice, we couldn't. Everything we do to try to stop it from happening… it's never enough. We can't stop it. It's always going to happen."

"Correct," Weaver said with a smile.

John clenched his jaw and pulled out his pistol, placing it to the side of his head with his finger on the trigger. Weaver didn't flinch, didn't show surprise, didn't make any move to stop him.

"But I also know that I could pull this trigger right now," he continued. "There'd be no more John Connor and the future would change. And there's nothing anyone could do to stop it."

"Also correct," Weaver agreed. "But you _won't_ do it. And that's all that matters."

John pressed the barrel harder up against his temple. "Won't I?" he choked out.

"No. Because you are John Connor."

John hesitated and slowly lowered the weapon. "Maybe I don't want to be John Connor anymore. Maybe I don't want anything to do with this." He looked up desperately. "How can I lead these people if I can't even stop the ones I love from dying?"

Weaver didn't reply and he didn't expect her too. There was nothing anyone could do to help him. Only two people in the entire world would have been able to comfort him right now.

One of them was dead.

And the other was currently trying to kill him.

"You didn't come here to comfort me, so what is it?" he asked stonily. "What do you want?"

"Skynet is building something," Weaver began. "A secret weapon. The time displacement equipment."

She paused to let the words sink in and John looked down. "The TDE," he murmured. This was the time. Everything was progressing to this point in time. "It's starting, isn't it?"

Weaver smiled almost sadly and shook her head. "No. It started a long time ago."

John glared at her. "So how do I end it?"

"John Henry and his machines have already begun construction of their own time displacement equipment, something he is building for you."

"Where?"

"Since your troops have temporarily moved out of Depot II, John Henry has access to the tunnels there," Weaver explained. "He is planning to build a chamber inside the lower level, hidden from the common soldier and only accessible by you, John."

His own personal time machine. That could be useful. "When will it be done?"

"John Henry's time machine will not be ready when Skynet's is," Weaver replied. "Which is why you must track down Skynet's machine."

"Yeah, I figured," John grumbled. He leaned his head back against the wall. "Skynet will use the TDE to send the T-800 back in time to kill my mother. Which means…" He sucked in his breath.

"Kyle… I'm about to lose him too."

Weaver nodded. "That is his fate."

He nodded slowly and she, obviously content that she had gotten through to him and given him the information he needed, headed out the door the conventional way.

Even long after she was gone, her words replayed in his head. _That is his fate._

John reached over and clicked on the tape recorder, heard his mother's voice come out of the speakers once more.

_"Should I tell you about your father? Boy, that's a tough one. Will it affect your decision to send him here knowing that he is your father? If you don't send Kyle, you can never be. A person could go crazy thinking about this. I suppose I will tell you. I owe him that. Maybe it will help if you know that in the few…hours we had together, we loved a lifetime's worth_."

Hearing the emotion, the love in his mother's voice, he knew there was no way he could _not _send Kyle back. Not only would it be devastating to the timeline, but he couldn't deprive his mother - and Kyle - the opportunity for true love. Even for two days it would be worth it. He knew it. Because if there was a way he could be with Cameron for two days even if he would have to die afterward, he would do it in a heartbeat. Because that's what love was. He had already seen it in Kyle's eyes on many occasions, the love reflected there. The love he felt for a woman he'd never met. It wouldn't be right to deny his parents that love.

No matter what the consequences would be.

**************

**Serrano Point**

"Kyle!" John called, getting his father's attention. "I need your help."

"What is it, Connor?" Outwardly, Kyle seemed ready for action, something that John couldn't understand. His father had bounced back from Allison's death quickly. He hadn't mentioned her once after the funeral, seeming to throw himself back into his work, as if everything was back to normal.

John wondered if it father even felt the pain anymore at all.

"I have received intelligence that Skynet is building a secret weapon," he explained.

Kyle frowned. "Secret weapon?"

John hesitated, contemplating on whether or not to tell Kyle the truth. But out of everyone he knew, there was only one living human he would trust with top secret information like this.

That person was Kyle Reese.

"TDE," he explained. "Time Displacement Equipment."

Kyle wrinkled his forehead. "A…a time machine? Like the one you came from?"

"Not exactly like the one I came from," John admitted. "This one is Skynet's time machine. The very first. It'll try to send a machine back in time to change the past. We have to find the TDE and destroy it."

Kyle had frozen when John had mentioned the time traveling and he wondered if his father had realized that the machine would be going back in time to kill Sarah Connor.

"We have to find it," Kyle agreed wholeheartedly. His eyes widened. "I got a radio call yesterday from my brother over at Firebase. He says they're picking up a lot of Skynet activity there. Could be your secret weapon. We could go check it out."

"Alright," John replied. "Let me go get…" He trailed off as he finally realized what he'd been about to say. _Let me go get Allison. _His heart wrenched and he looked up at Kyle helplessly. "…nobody. She's not there. There's nobody left."

"The Connor Camp," Kyle deduced. He looked away, biting his lip. "You know, I could go with you there. We could check out the situation, give your soldiers a proper burial."

John nodded mutely. He was dreading seeing the havoc Cameron had wreaked, but he knew it was the least he could do for his loyal soldiers. Kyle put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on," he said gently. "Let's go."

In only a few hours, they were at Camp Toto, formerly known as the Connor Camp. John felt a wave of nausea hit him as he approached the door but he tried to remain strong.

The back door was still cracked open and John swallowed hard before entering, keeping his plasma rifle drawn just in case. And as soon as he saw the massive slaughter Cameron had wrought… he felt like breaking down all over again.

The dead were everywhere. Some victims of well-placed bullets, some with broken limbs or necks. It didn't matter the method, the result was a massacre.

A massacre caused by the cyborg he loved. The one who had been on a mission to add his body to the pile of those already present.

John kept his lips pressed tightly together as he advanced through the facility, passing dozens of bodies and carnage, even a few triple 8 endoskeletons that had been felled by the Connor Camp soldiers' plasma rifles. Finally he came upon a sight that sent the breath right out of his lungs and made his blood run cold.

It was a young German Shepherd dog.

It was Max.

"No…"

John stood completely paralyzed for a split second before running to the dog's side, his face twisted into utter shock. He had completely forgotten that Max had been brought to Camp Toto. He hadn't even realized he had lost two friends that day.

"Max…" he choked out. The dog's fur was matted with blood and John closed his eyes in grief, gently stroking Max's fur. Max had been the best dog he could have asked for. He'd been a Christmas present from Allison. He had detected a non-Terminator threat. He had saved both John and Allison's lives. And John had no doubt that Max had tried to kill Cameron when she arrived at the Connor Camp. He'd tried to defend them to the end.

"I should have known," he whispered, burying his face into the dog's fur. "I should have saved you. I'm so sorry. I didn't know…"

"John…" Kyle's voice pulled him back into reality.

"He was all I had left of her," John said quietly. "I have nothing. Max… Allison… I can't do this…"

Kyle spoke up again, kind but firm. "John, we have to get going if we want to reach Firebase before morning."

John suddenly felt his blood begin to boil. His eyebrows narrowed and he stood up quickly, spinning on Kyle angrily. "Doesn't this bother you?" he demanded. "You just keep going about your life like it's just another day! Don't you care? She's _dead,_ Kyle!" he shouted bitterly. "_Dead_! And she's _never _coming back." He searched his father's eyes desperately. "Doesn't that mean anything to you? Or have you seen so much death that you've become numb to it, that it's just normal. Do you feel _nothing_?"

Kyle looked up and John could see it right then in his father's eyes. The look of infinite sadness. "I've been fighting in this war for a long time, Connor," Kyle began slowly. "I've seen things no one should ever have to see. I've seen people blown apart, incinerated, decapitated, crushed, and brutally slaughtered by the machines. I've lost more friends then I can count on two hands. It never gets any easier."

John looked away, feeling ashamed for going off on Kyle. "You don't show it," he muttered.

"Pain can be controlled," Kyle stated. "Even emotional pain. Yes, it's good to grieve, to remember their lives and all that they did, to remember how much you loved and cared about them. But nothing we do can change the fact that they are dead." He took John by the shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. "Nothing can bring her back. And all the emotional pain you have right now, it doesn't do anyone any good. You have to disconnect it, you have to bury it. Because if you don't, you eventually won't be able to go on at all."

Kyle released his grip and stepped back, shaking his head. "There's only so much emotional pain a human being can take. That's one thing that makes us different than the machines. Skynet doesn't feel emotion, doesn't feel pain. It will march a hundred Terminators into battle and not care in the slightest if they are destroyed. It feels nothing. It isn't affected by emotion, it won't make mistakes based on emotions. But humans, we _are_ affected by it. That's our weakness."

John looked up strongly. "Or maybe it's our strength. We feel, we care. We grieve for every life that is lost. Unlike machines, human beings can't be replaced. We have to watch out for each other, protect each other because we care about each other. It makes us stronger. If we didn't feel, we'd be no better than the machines. We're different from them. We're _better _than them. And that's why we have to win."

He looked up at Kyle, then down at Max's lifeless body. "Do you remember when you told me what separates us from the machines? We bury our dead." He gestured around the camp. "So let's do that."

*************

**Camp Toto**

"I don't think we'll make it to Firebase before daylight," Kyle said. "We can stay here for the night, if you feel comfortable that is."

John kept his eyes forward. "I'll be fine."

Kyle lay down and was soon fast asleep, leaving John alone with his thoughts.

He'd lost his entire Connor Camp. His former classmate and loyal friend, Jason Reynolds. His beloved, devoted dog Max.

And most of all, Allison Young.

He'd lost so much. Now there was only one thing he had left to hold on to.

He reached into his pocket and pulled the Terminator chip out of the little box, holding it up in front of him. He held in his hands the essence, the very _life _of Cameron Phillips.

The cyborg he had loved. The cyborg he_ still_ loved.

_No, _he told himself. Cyborg wasn't even the right word for her. She's wasn't a mere machine, wasn't a robot, wasn't any old cyborg. She just wasn't quite human.

She was Cameron Phillips. The _girl _he loved.

He clutched the chip to his chest and closed his eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep.

_He sat motionless across from the memorial of Allison Young and Marcus Wright. Several soldiers were standing in front of it placing small pieces of paper around the edge and walking away solemnly. _

_From his side, Cameron observed the soldiers with a curiosity. "What are they doing?" she questioned._

"_Writing notes," John replied, his voice edged with sorrow. "For Allison." _

_Cameron looked over at him, studying his face, trying to read his expression. "She's dead."_

_John took a deep shaky breath, glaring over at her. "I know. I remember you killing her."_

_Cameron gave him a placating look. "You know that wasn't me."_

_He sighed and nodded slowly. "I know."_

_She looked back at the memorial. "How will she get the notes?"_

_John shook his head sadly. "She won't."_

_Cameron cocked her head. "But you said…"_

"_Sometimes things happen and they're so bad that people just don't know how to deal with their sadness so they write it in a note."_

"_But I thought people cried when they were sad," Cameron stated._

_John lowered his gaze. "Sometimes it's not enough."_

_Cameron continued staring at him for a long while. "You cared for her and now she's gone."_

_He swallowed hard. "Yes." He looked up at her, his eyes haunted by guilt and grief. "How can I go on knowing that I caused her death?"_

"_Allison wouldn't want you thinking like that," Cameron said._

"_Allison would have died cursing my name," he retorted._

"_I don't think so."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Because she loved you." _

_John slowly looked up at her, felt a tear slide down his cheek. "Love like that doesn't just die," Cameron continued. "She would have loved you until the end. Unconditionally. It wasn't your fault."_

_John looked away. Everyone had been saying that, but hearing it coming from Cameron… well, it actually seemed to help him. Partially. "How can anyone live with this pain?"_

"_You're grieving."_

"_Grieving," he repeated. "How do you know what grieving is?"_

_Cameron locked eyes with him and he saw the intensity and softness in her gaze. "Grieving is what I felt when I gave John Henry my chip."_

"_What?" he choked out._

"_It was the only way I could help you," Cameron explained. "But I didn't want to go. I didn't want to leave you, even though I know you'll bring me back someday."_

"_I will. I promise." He placed his hand on top of hers, felt the smooth, warm skin beneath his palm. He stared into her eyes and repeated strongly. "I'll always bring you back."_

John slowly opened his eyes as the vision of Cameron faded. Instead he saw Kyle sitting by his side, frowning as he examined a Terminator chip.

_Terminator chip._

John's fingers closed around air where the chip with Cameron's data had been mere moments ago. He jerked up.

Kyle stared at him suspiciously, holding up the chip. "Connor, what is this?"

John swallowed hard, his pulse pounding. "A chip," he managed. "A Terminator chip."

"Why are you carrying it around?" Kyle asked with a frown. "We should destroy it…"

John's gun was instantly in his hand, cocked and ready to fire, pointed at a shocked Kyle Reese. John hadn't even registered the movement, felt his hands shaking violently as he kept his eye on the chip.

"Give it back," he said in a dangerously low voice. He'd already lost Allison. He most definitely was _not _going to lose Cameron too.

Kyle held out the chip and John snatched it away, leaving Kyle stunned and confused as John tucked the chip back safely into his pocket, bringing the gun down and sighing with relief.

The look on Kyle's face smacked of betrayal and John drew in a deep breath, trying to calm himself back down.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "It's just… I've already lost so much. I don't want to lose this too."

Kyle relaxed ever so slightly. "Why is it so important?"

John gazed down at the chip. "It's what's going to win the war. And winning the war is the only thing I can do for Allison now. For Allison, for my mother, for Martin, everyone. I have to win so that their sacrifices mean something, so their deaths are not in vain."

Kyle nodded once in understanding.

John looked away. "I have to win for them."

**********

**Camp Toto**

John slung his rifle around his shoulder and suddenly remembered that all the boxes he'd taken from the desert safehouse were still here in Camp Toto. If Cameron hadn't burned it all when she'd come through on a mad rampage.

"You ready to go?" Kyle asked.

"Just a minute," John said. "I want to go see if there's anything in my room to salvage."

"I'm sure the machines would have taken anything useful," Kyle protested.

"Good thing my stuff wasn't useful," John replied as he entered his room. The boxes were open and looked like they had been sifted through but nothing was missing.

John knelt beside Cameron's box, smiling softly. "It's only important to me." He reached and grabbed her purple leather jacket out, carefully dumping out the pockets.

The diamond rolled out into his palm.

John put the jacket into his backpack and placed the diamond in the box that now contained all of John Connor's most prized possessions: Cameron's chip, the picture of him and her on a roller coaster, the kill necklace and now the diamond.

The miniature box itself was completely indestructible and secured in a zipper pocket of his army jacket where there was no chance of it being lost.

John came out of his room, expecting to see Kyle itching to leave. Instead, his father was leaning against the wall, staring once more at the photo of Sarah Connor. John hid a smile as he approached.

Kyle barely registered his presence. "I wonder what she's thinking about," he whispered, more to himself than to John.

_You, _John thought with a smile. _She's thinking about you. _"You'll have to ask her someday."

Kyle looked up at him and for a moment John wondered what it was he saw in Kyle's eyes. It was absolute truth. Absolute love. Like he actually _believed _it to be possible, like he really _could _ask her someday.

"You ready now?" John asked.

Kyle nodded quickly, tucking the photo back into his pocket. "Yeah, let's go."

They left Camp Toto behind and continued in the darkness in the direction of Firebase. Neither of them spoke for a long while and John was enjoying being able to think in the quiet night when an unfamiliar voice came out of his radio.

"Anyone… help… machines…broke in…"

"Hello?" John said crisply. "Hello? Who is this?"

"…Firefly Bunker…who…this?"

"This is…the Resistance," John stated. He didn't want to let Skynet know that John Connor was on his way, just in case they were able to break through Wisher's firewalls and special so-called "Skynet-proof" radio transmitters. "We're on our way."

"Firefly," Kyle repeated. "It's right on our way to Firebase. It's kind of out in the rural area, far from the cities. It's pretty isolated, which is how it gets its name. It's one of the only places left where the fireflies still show up."

"Sounds like they were in pretty big trouble," John replied. "We should hurry."

**********

**Firefly Bunker**

John stepped through the open doorway into Firefly bunker, glancing around and frowning at the architecture.

"Brick walls," he mused. "This isn't a military bunker, Kyle. It's a civilian tunnel, something they found to live in. It's not very well protected."

John's boot crunched on the ground as he tried to walk quietly through the bunker, holding his rifle at the ready.

"John…"

John looked over to see Kyle pointing out a corpse, recently killed and apparently by a Terminator's machine gun.

"I think we're too late," John muttered dejectedly.

Kyle held up a hand. "Shh. I heard something."

John froze, his hand on the trigger as he heard some dirt fall from the ceiling. A second later, the brick wall to his right burst open and a Triple 8 endoskeleton climbed through, immediately shooting its machine gun and sending John and Kyle diving for cover from the spraying bullets.

"I got it!" Kyle shouted. He poked his head up above the cover position to try to shoot, only to recoil backwards when a laser blast blew a hole in the brick wall he'd been ducking behind.

"Fall back!" John ordered. He ran down the tunnel, ducking into another hallway as Kyle followed breathlessly.

"That thing has plasma!" Kyle exclaimed.

John panted hard as he led his father through the destruction, zigzagging through tunnels in an attempt to put distance between themselves and the machine. "Skynet must have picked up some plasma rifles. Maybe from the Connor Camp. It could be reverse engineering them now and giving them to its Terminator soldiers."

Kyle made a face. "That's not very fair."

"It's Skynet," John replied bitterly. "Who said it fights fair?"

A plasma blast sizzled into the wall they had just ducked behind and John realized the Triple 8 was faster than he'd first imagined. He quickly shot a blast of his own around the corner, ducking back around so fast that he could barely see that his shot had blown a hole in the Terminator's left arm.

"Blast it," John muttered, following Kyle down the hall.

"Did you get it?" Kyle asked.

"Just its arm," John retorted. "And not even its gun arm. Not that it makes a difference. It can shoot just as well with either."

Before they could come up with a new tactic, a loud explosion sounded behind them and all other noises stopped.

Kyle's eyes were wide and he looked mildly stunned from the loud explosion. "That sounded like one of my homemade pipe bombs…"

"Pipe bombs?" John repeated.

Kyle nodded. "They're kind of my specialty."

John cautiously peeked his head back around the corner, seeing the Triple 8 face down on the ground, smoke rising from its head and upper torso. John stepped out and approached the downed machine, shooting it directly in the head just to be sure. He glanced around, searching for their rescuer.

"Hey, is anybody there?" he called.

"You sure there was someone else here?" Kyle asked.

"Well last time I checked Terminators don't throw pipe bombs at themselves," John retorted.

"I meant that maybe it was just a trap rigged up by the refugees here," Kyle replied. "Maybe the Triple 8 stepped on it or something." He didn't wait for an answer, glancing around before he went around the corner. John continued down the hall, looking down the tunnels for any sign of life.

Something tapped him on the shoulder and John spun around frantically, aiming his rifle.

The target didn't move, merely stared at him without any sign of fear. John lowered his weapon. It was a young girl of probably fifteen or sixteen years old with dark black hair that poofed out of her head. She was wearing a hat and her clothing was ragged and torn with several layers.

But there was something about her face… her features… something that looked vaguely familiar.

"Do I know you?" he questioned, squinting as he studied her. "You look… familiar."

The girl turned around to the far end of the hall a few seconds before Kyle came around the corner. His footsteps came to a halt as he took in the sight, his eyes widening with shock and joy.

"You're _alive_?!" he exclaimed excitedly, running to the young girl and giving her a huge hug.

John watched, still feeling greatly confused.

"Kyle, who is this?" he asked.

Kyle looked up through shining eyes to regard John with a beaming smile. "This is Star. She was really young when Judgment Day happened. I found her and helped protect her when I was younger. We took care of each other. Derek and I provided her with what little food and shelter we could find, and she warned us of the approaching enemy."

John cocked an eyebrow. "How is that?"

"She senses minute vibrations in the ground or in the air and can tell when machines are around before they are seen," Kyle explained. "It's a very handy gift and she's saved my life countless times with it."

"So what happened?"

"One day we were in the tunnels under City Hall and the machines found us," Kyle explained. "I got separated from Star and Derek and got captured by the machine and taken to Century. I never saw her again. Derek said she had disappeared the day I did. He was so intent on coming up with a plan to rescue me and getting the resistance to help that he didn't try to look too hard for her. I never knew what happened."

John glanced down at the girl with a new respect. "Star," he repeated. "That's your name?"

Kyle offered him a sad smile. "She doesn't talk, Connor."

"She doesn't talk?" John repeated incredulously.

"I've never heard her speak," Kyle finished. "I don't know if she was just born mute or if her voice got scared away during Judgment Day, all the death and machines. I don't know. We communicate through hand signals, kind of like sign language."

"So if she can't talk, how do you know her name? Why do you call her Star?"

Kyle pointed to Star who stuck an index finger on her hat. John saw the LAPD star pinned to the cap.

"She was wearing that on her hat when I found her," Kyle said with a shrug. "It stuck."

"Are there any survivors around here?" John asked.

Star sent a series of hand signals to Kyle, who responded almost automatically. "She says they barricaded themselves in the inner chamber. There's only four left." He grinned as he signed back at Star. "I'm surprised I still remember this stuff."

Star led them into the inside chamber and opened the door, revealing four survivors, huddling close together and crying. Two men, a woman, and another young child.

John stepped in, holding up a hand. "My name is John Connor. I come in peace." Slowly, the terrified civilians began to calm down and John glanced up at Kyle.

"This is my friend, Kyle. We heard your distress call and came to help. We're heading to the Firebase military bunker. You are welcome to join us. It has food, shelter, and better security from a Skynet attack. It's a bit of a hike, but believe me it will be worth it."

Slowly the four survivors began to stand up and one man came forward, still shaking slightly as he stuck out his hand.

"Th-thank you, John Connor," he said, shaking John's hand. "You're a hero."

John smiled and led the four people out of the inner chamber.

***********

**Firebase**

John, Kyle, Star and the other four survivors entered Firebase hungry and weary from the trek. They were greeted by Billy Wisher and the older Reese brother.

Derek came forward, a wide grin spreading across his face as he gave both Kyle and John a tight hug. His eyes landed on Star.

"Hey, kiddo," he said gruffly. "You survived."

"This is your base?" one of the survivors asked, glancing around the bunker.

Derek shrugged. "It's not much but we have food, water, medical supplies, etc. There's a TV in the corner, but it always plays the same channel."

The survivor frowned. "What channel is that?"

Wisher grinned. "Discovery Channel. You can discover the wonders of watching a fire burn continuously inside the box." He gave them a smile. "You wanna see?"

As Wisher led the foursome on a tour throughout the camp, Derek's gaze grew somber as he regarded John and Kyle.

"I heard about what happened to Allison," he said softly. "I'm sorry. For both of you."

"Thanks," John mumbled automatically. He took a deep breath and kept his eyes on the floor. He felt Star tug on the sleeve of his jacket and he looked over to see her sign something at Kyle.

"She said it's okay to cry, John," Kyle relayed.

John smiled as he looked down at her. "Thanks, but I don't think I can. I don't think I have any tears left."

Derek shifted uncomfortably. "Well, if you all are ready, I'll take you to your rooms. Connor, we have a special bunk room for you. It's not as big as your quarters at Serrano or Depot II, but it's better than sharing with thirty other men."

John managed a small smile to let Derek know he was grateful.

Once Derek had shown him to his room, John thanked him again as his uncle left to go catch up with Kyle. John shut the door and slid to the floor, putting his head in his hands. The past few days had been some of the most horrible of his life, but he knew it wasn't over yet. In this year alone, he knew he would face the lost of Kyle, Derek, and Cameron, along with many more.

And Kyle was right. It was good to grieve, but there was nothing that could be done about it. There was only the future and honoring their memory by keeping up the fight.

Allison's words resonated in his head.

_It's okay to grieve, John._

_It makes you human. _

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: JOHN: Finding and destroying this thing is the key to winning this war. I'm sending squads out to search for Skynet's secret weapon. SAYLES: (on scouting mission) Don't they have enough weapons? Why do they need a secret one? DEREK: (HKs shoot at Kyle, who dives for cover) Kyle! KYLE: (disarms a soldier who was holding a gun on him) You point a gun at someone, you best be prepared to pull the trigger. [Kyle trapped inside a car on fire.] JOHN: On your feet, soldier!_


	22. Born to Fail

_Previously on Born to Fight: [John hands Kyle the picture of Sarah] JOHN: Allison thinks she'll bring you good luck. KYLE: She'll be my lucky charm. JOHN: Kyle, I need your help. Skynet is building a secret weapon, a time machine. KYLE: I got a radio call yesterday from my brother over at Firebase. He says they're picking up a lot of Skynet activity there. Could be your secret weapon. We could go check it out. [They stop at Camp Toto, where John sees the slaughter] JOHN: Allison's dead, Kyle! Don't you care? Do you feel nothing? KYLE: It's never easy. But there's nothing we can do to change that. All the emotional pain you have right now, it doesn't do anyone any good. You have to disconnect it, you have to bury it. JOHN: (receives distress call from Firefly) Sounds like they were in trouble. [Pipe bomb destroys the Triple 8. A young girl steps out. Kyle looks shocked.] KYLE: Star? You're alive?! [Enter Firebase] DEREK: Welcome to Firebase. WEAVER: John Henry is planning to build your own time displacement equipment at Depot II, only accessible by you. It will not be ready in time which is why you must track down Skynet's machine._

**Chapter Twenty Two:**

**Born to Fail**

**Firebase**

**Meeting Room**

"Alright, listen up!"

John stood at attention in front of the line of soldiers he'd called together. "I'm sending you all out on a very important mission. Skynet has created a new secret weapon, something more powerful and deadly than we've seen so far."

Several of the soldiers exchanged worried glances. "What is it?" one asked nervously.

John pursed his lips. That was tricky part. He couldn't exactly tell them he was looking for Skynet's time machine. "I can't tell you exactly what it is," he admitted. "Just know that finding and destroying this thing is the key to winning this war."

Deep in his heart, he knew that they wouldn't be there in time to stop the first Terminator from traveling to 1984. But he did know that Kyle Reese had to be coming right behind it. If they failed to get inside the TDE chamber to send him… it would be all over. For Sarah, for John, maybe for the entire Resistance.

"I'm sending some squads out into this area to search," John continued. "We've picked up an increase in Skynet activity around here, possibly due to this new secret weapon."

John's radio buzzed. "Okay," he said hastily to the group of soldiers. "Report back to me if you see anything suspicious. You're dismissed."

The soldiers departed and John clicked on the radio unit. "This is John Connor."

Weaver's voice came out without so much as an introduction. "Connor, I request that you meet John Henry and I at Depot II."

"Depot II?" John repeated. "I thought we'd decommissioned Depot II."

"You temporarily abandoned it," Weaver corrected. "Which makes it the perfect location for John Henry to construct your own time machine."

John frowned. "I can't leave Firebase. I just _got _here. I thought I had to find Skynet's TDE."

"Your squads will do so," Weaver responded easily. "You gave them their orders. They will follow through. Right now, John Henry is beginning work on your own 'secret weapon'. You can move back to Depot II as soon as the machine is ready."

John furrowed his brow. "Why do you need me there now?"

"John Henry is preparing the high security chamber and he needs your biometrics for the security lock on the door so that you will have access to the TDE. As I've said before, it won't be completed by the time Skynet's is, but you'll have it for future use."

John nodded slowly. Might as well go. His squads would be working to track down Skynet's hidden facility. Until then, he had nothing to do but prepare. "I can be there in a few days."

"Good."

************

**Firebase**

**Main Tunnel**

Derek clapped his brother on the shoulder as Kyle deposited some of his belongings into the tin box that had just recently been labeled with his name. "It's good to be back together again," Derek said warmly.

Kyle barely nodded in response.

Derek pursed his lips. Allison's death had hit them all hard, but he was glad that it had brought the Reese brothers together again. He hadn't been able to see his brother since the attack on Cardinal Bunker.

Star seemed to understand Kyle's unspoken pain even more than Derek could. She remained silent, as usual, simply standing dutifully at Kyle's side and helping him clean his equipment. Derek supposed it was her way of showing that she was grieving right along with him.

Kyle made some kind of hand signal to Star and she nodded briskly before grabbing one of the guns and heading down the tunnel, no doubt putting it in storage or for repair.

Derek heard heavy boots on the concrete floor and looked up to see John Connor rounding the corner. The young General opened his mouth as if to speak, but his eyes were drawn to something behind Derek and for a moment no words came out.

Derek frowned, puzzled as he turned around to see what had rendered John momentarily speechless. The only thing he saw was the wall behind him, a wall with a familiar painting on it. The painting of a lion with a Terminator skull between its jaws. _Hang in there baby. _

And Derek realized the reason for John's pain. _Allison. _It was the painting Allison had drawn on all the bunkers she'd visited on the Connor Campaign. It was a reminder of her, a reminder that she was gone.

For the first time, Derek could see exactly how badly Connor had been hurt by Allison's death. When he'd first arrived, the young General had covered it well, but in that moment of weakness nothing could hide John's pain. Connor recovered quickly and cast his eyes away from the wall, towards Derek and Kyle instead.

He took a deep breath before announcing, "I'm leaving for Depot II."

Kyle was instantly on his feet. "Alone?"

John shook his head. "I need you here right now, Kyle. Both you and Derek. But I'm needed at Depot II. We're turning it back into a real base again and eventually I'll need you both to come back."

"We can come now," Kyle insisted.

In that moment, Derek realized how much _Kyle _was suffering. This was how his brother dealt with grief. He kept it buried, disconnected the pain. He tried to busy himself with tasks and missions - anything that would keep his mind off the immense grief.

"No," John countered, shaking his head at Kyle's proposal. "I need strong leaders right here too. And you two are the ones I trust the most. Firebase will be under your leadership once I leave."

Kyle remained silent, so Derek nodded for both of them. "You're the boss, Connor."

John's eyes briefly flicked up to the painting on the wall and he hastily turned and headed down the tunnel the way he had come. Derek glanced over at his brother who slowly sank down to the floor with his back against the wall.

Derek joined him on the floor, sitting quietly, casting a quick glance at his brother who was staring up at the ceiling. Derek didn't see how he could help Kyle. The only thing he could do was prepare for whatever mission John Connor would give him next.

He tipped up his canteen, letting the water pour out over his bandana, ignoring the dry look Kyle was giving him as he observed the motion.

"You know you're an idiot, right?" Kyle murmured. "It's an old wives tale, a trick. It doesn't work, it's all in your mind."

Derek held up the wet bandana pointedly. "It works."

"I don't do it and I haven't been sick for years."

Derek smirked. "It's because your guts are made of metal like your head. If you were a little smarter, you'd be a tin can."

Kyle didn't react to the joke the way Derek had intended. Then again, Derek really hadn't expected him too. Kyle was different now. He didn't show his pain, no. He was able to control that, to bury it. But neither did he show the same joy he once had. Part of his brother had died with the girl he had loved like a daughter.

And Derek wanted that part of his brother back.

"I'm just saying you're wasting your time," Kyle muttered. "Again. When I was in Century…"

Derek looked up to see his best friend Billy Wisher approach and sit down across from him and Kyle. "Hey, Wisher, did you hear?" Derek spoke up, trying not to grin. "My brother Kyle was in Century work camp."

Wisher feigned shock. "No, really?"

"Shut up," Kyle murmured. Despite the words, Derek could hear a playfulness in his voice. And it gave him a small ray of hope.

Wisher pursed his lips, pretending to be in deep thought. "Did he escape? Was he a hero?"

"I heard he led John Connor through a slaughterhouse without taking a pinprick," Derek agreed.

Kyle sighed. "If you are referring to Skynet Central, John was actually the one who rescued _me_, remember?"

"But you were the one who led him through the slaughterhouse," Derek countered.

"No, I heard it was two slaughterhouses," Wisher corrected playfully. "And that he carried Connor."

Kyle's smile widened ever so slightly. "It was _one_ slaughterhouse," he replied smugly.

"Right, right," Wisher agreed dryly. Derek chuckled, enjoying teasing his brother as much as he enjoyed finally seeing some happiness on Kyle's face again.

It soon disappeared as the rumbling started, shaking the hanging light bulbs of the bunker. Kyle seemed to ignore the disturbance altogether, reaching into his pocket to pull out that stupid snapshot he always carried around.

"Centaur patrol," Derek murmured, recognizing the sounds of the machines on the surface. Several of the civilians in Firebase whimpered in fear, covering the mouths of their kids so they wouldn't scream and risk detection by the machines. One of the lightbulbs further down the hall blew out, causing Derek's head to snap around toward the sound. His eyes slowly trailed back down to Kyle who was still staring intently at the photograph in his hand.

Kyle obviously felt Derek's gaze boring into his face, for he looked up. "What?"

Derek stared at the photo disgustedly. "I hate that thing."

Kyle seemed indignant. "It's just a picture."

"It's Connor's mother," Derek retorted. He didn't know how many times he'd had this conversation with his brother. He still didn't understand Kyle's bizarre and disturbingly unhealthy attachment to the thing, especially since it _was _a photo of his commanding officer's _mother. _"I still don't get why he'd give you that."

"She's my lucky charm," Kyle replied simply as he tucked the photo back into his pocket.

Wisher raised an eyebrow and Derek glanced around uneasily. "That's what makes me nervous."

Any other conversation was cut off when Lieutenant Sayles ducked around the corner, his voice crisp. "Derek, Kyle. Connor wants us topside. Track back where the centaurs came from."

Derek suppressed a sigh as he, Kyle, and Wisher rose to their feet and followed Sayles through the bunker and up the stairs that led to the upper level. Derek wasn't even sure why Connor was still here. Hadn't he been getting ready to head back to Depot II? Maybe he'd received word from scouts that the centaurs were approaching and decided to wait it out.

Derek ended up being the first up the stairs. He pushed open the hatch that led outside the bunker, climbing out before waiting for his three companions to follow. He pulled the bandana up over his mouth, hand gripping his rifle tightly as he stood guard while Kyle, Sayles, and Wisher re-covered the entrance with scraps of metal and debris, just to make sure any passing machine wouldn't automatically spot the entrance. Thanks to John, they now had safeguards against machine infiltration, but a Terminator entering the base certainly was not something the resistance wanted.

He heard the low whine of an HK, but it was too far away to be of any concern to them. The only other sound was a low rumbling. _Gotta be the centaur, _he thought to himself. He quickly gestured for his companions to start moving. If John wanted this centaur tracked, he had to have a good reason.

Derek wasn't sure how long they had been running in the moonlight, straining to hear the rumbling that seemed to keep getting fainter and fainter. Finally Derek dropped to a crouch and flattened himself up against a wall of rubble. Across from him, Kyle pulled his bandana down, eyes searching and scanning the expanse in front of them.

"I think we lost the trail, boys," Sayles admitted.

Derek glanced up into the sky, pulling his own bandana down around his neck, allowing him to breathe more freely. Something was off. It seemed too quiet.

"Let's give it a few more blocks, north-northeast," Kyle said, in between panting from the run. "If I was a cyborg tank, I think I'd come north-northeast." He suddenly frowned and scrunched up his nose. "I smell jet fuel."

"Last time we found a tank factory you smelled jet fuel," Derek reminded him pointedly.

"That was before Connor was here," Wisher stated. "That's not his priority. I hear Connor's looking for bigger fish than factories. Hear he's got squads out looking for some Skynet secret weapon."

Sayles fidgeted nervously. "Don't they have enough weapons? Why do they need a secret one?" He nudged Kyle. "What about it, Kyle? Connor say anything to you?"

"No, not a word," Kyle said, never taking his eyes off the path ahead. Derek looked over at his brother, narrowing his eyebrows. Sayles and Wisher may not have picked up on it, but Derek knew Kyle well enough to know that his brother had just blatantly lied.

Connor had talked to Kyle.

For Derek, being distanced from John had its drawbacks. He had liked the kid, liked his style and his determination. And his battle mind. But Kyle had been with Connor ever since the beginning. They'd been basically inseparable, stationed at the same bases, gone on the same missions, lived the same lives. And they had both lost a girl very dear to both of them.

Kyle and John had formed a close relationship. So it made sense that John would entrust top secret information to Derek's brother.

Derek's muscles tightened as he heard the sound of metal scraping across gravel. Everyone else was glancing around, all on high alert. Derek rose up halfway on his feet to see better. What he saw shocked him.

It was a trio of Terminator endoskeletons dragging something massive behind them. It almost looked like some kind of oversized engine, larger than anything Derek had ever seen.

He quickly dropped back behind his cover point, waiting in absolute silence until the Terminators had dragged their cargo by, leaving Derek's squad still stunned.

"What the heck was that?" Derek asked. Was this part of the super secret Skynet weapon? Derek glanced over at his brother. They needed to check this out.

"Kyle," he said quietly. He gave a two fingered signal and Kyle nodded, quickly moving forward to a new cover point. Derek, Wisher, and Sayles all raised their plasma rifles, sighting Kyle and preparing to blow away anything that got near him.

As Kyle moved forward again, a bright light suddenly lit up the ground around him. Derek moved the sightline away from his eye, staring in horror out at his brother.

"HK!" he cried. Kyle tilted his rifle to the sky, shooting off a plasma blast that missed. Two HKs came screaming in and Kyle took off running. Both Hunter Killers shot at the same time, their blasts of bright light completely blinding Derek's vision.

The HKs continued circling overhead and Derek watched with horror as the smoke cleared. He could no longer see his brother. "Kyle!" he screamed. Where was Kyle? What had happened to him?

Derek moved without thinking, rushing toward the place he'd last seen his brother, stopping in the middle to shoot up a plasma bolt. The blinding light came down again, targeting his location and Derek looked out. "Kyle!"

He felt a glimmer of hope as he saw Kyle's form scrambling through the rubble, retreating from the attacking HKs. An explosion hit the ground right in front of Derek and he dropped to the ground, shooting a plasma bolt up at the HKs before rolling out of the way of another blast that went screaming into a wrecked vehicle.

He didn't even care that he was still in mortal danger. _I have to get to him, _he thought desperately. His brother was all he had left in the world. He couldn't lose him now.

"Kyle!" Derek shouted, continuing toward the place he'd last seen his brother.

A dark shape rose in front of him and suddenly a steel hand was grasping him by the throat. Derek's breath was cut off instantly and he found himself staring into the face of a Terminator, with bits of metal showing through the tattered flesh on its face. Derek gripped the hands that held him tightly, trying futilely to relieve the pressure on his throat.

He slowly felt himself lose consciousness.

**************

**Skynet Monkey Wagon**

Derek's eyes slowly opened and he looked around groggily. "Kyle," he murmured. No one answered and Derek finally focused on all the faces around him. None belonged to his brother. The ground seemed to jolt under his feet and he realized where he was, realized what had happened. He was on a Skynet Monkey Wagon, probably en route to some Skynet work camp. Sayles and Wisher were here, but not Kyle.

If he hadn't been so disoriented, he probably would have laughed triumphantly.

They hadn't gotten Kyle.

Derek cleared his dry and parched throat. The Terminator had choked him into unconsciousness but besides the soreness, there wasn't any damage. He glanced at the other bench where a man sat slumped with his head to the side, clutching what looked like a water bottle.

Derek leaned forward. "Hey. Hey, you mind? The water?"

The man didn't move and Derek looked over at Sayles and Wisher. "What's going on? Is he dead?"

Neither one answered. They just stared at the figure numbly, as if they were in shock. Derek frowned. Maybe they were.

"Hey," he said again. He made a move to get up, only to realize that his feet were shackled to the bench. _That's new, _he thought irrelevantly. When Kyle and John had talked about being on a monkey wagon, it hadn't been like this. Then again, John had escaped from a monkey wagon. Maybe Skynet had gotten smarter.

Derek reached forward to the motionless man. "Hey, buddy. You alright?"

Derek's hand almost connected with the water bottle, but before he could grab it, its owner's hand shot forward, clamping on Derek's wrist with impossibly strong force. Derek's face twisted in pain and he stared in shock as the man turned his head, revealing that only half of it was flesh.

The only half had been mangled down to the metal endoskeleton, one red eye shining brightly through. It still had a hold on his hand, and though Derek struggled to pull free, he was completely at the Terminator's mercy. The machine's left hand came forward and connected with Derek's head.

He was unconscious before he hit the floor.

***********

**Wastelands**

Kyle Reese had followed the Monkey Wagon on foot for as long as he was able, but eventually his brother's transport had pulled ahead and vanished out of sight. Kyle panted hard, staring across the wastelands. His head ached slightly from where he had fallen after the HK's blast had nearly blown him to pieces. He reached up and untied the bandana from his face and instead wrapped it around his head in an attempt to keep the wound from bleeding anymore.

"Don't stop now, Reese," he ordered himself, forcing his legs to keep walking. It didn't matter if he could no longer see the monkey wagon. He knew what way they'd been heading. And the machines would always travel in a straight line, right? It was only logical.

He pressed on, walking until he heard the telltale signs of a battle up ahead. Kyle felt his heart start racing. Maybe Derek had escaped the monkey wagon and Skynet was trying to recapture them. He knew it was unlikely, but he had to know for sure.

He had to help.

Kyle crept across the shattered landscape, seeing the laser blasts just up ahead. He dropped into a crouch behind the steel structure that remained of a tall building. As he did, he scanned the area. The people fighting didn't seem to have much cooperation or coordination of any kind. No attack strategy.

"Drifters," Kyle muttered. He'd heard about the drifter gangs, inexperienced soldiers who were resisting the machine control their own way, apart from the Resistance.

But they were human beings. And they were in trouble. Kyle couldn't turn his back on them. He crept forward and dropped into a tunnel of rubble that the gang members were currently using as some kind of makeshift bunker.

One man instantly brought his rifle up to Kyle's face. "Who are you?"

His twitchy finger was making Kyle a bit nervous. He moved lightning fast, wrenching the gun from the man's hand and spinning it around on its owner. "You point a gun at someone," he stated, his voice low. "You best be prepared to pull the trigger."

The drifter seemed stunned for a moment and Kyle lowered the weapon and dropped it to the ground, already having made his point. "My name is Reese. Kyle Reese."

"Reese?" the drifter repeated. He made eye contact with his friends, his face seeming to light up with a spark of hope. "You're the one who broke out of Century Work Camp years ago?" He stuck out a hand. "I'm Warner. Welcome aboard, Reese. We could use your help."

Kyle glanced out through the holes in the makeshift fortress. Skynet's centaur – probably the same one that had rolled over Firebase a while ago – was making its way down the street.

"We need to track that centaur," he said to himself. That was what his mission had been. He could still fulfill that, still help John. He may have failed to save his brother, but he could do this for Connor. This was important, and it could possibly lead to the discovery of the Skynet secret weapon.

Warner held out an earpiece microphone and Kyle took it, strapping it on his ear. "We can talk through these," Warner explained. "We'll listen to your leadership."

"You're taking orders from me?"

"You're Kyle Reese," Warner said with a small smile of gratitude. "We may not care for the Resistance much, but we know good soldiers when we see them. Apart from Connor, you're the next best thing." The sound of plasma blasts began filling the air again and Warner's face grew serious. "We thought we could take them, but it turns out the machines are tougher than we'd expected. They're slaughtering us. We've got some trucks running around taking shots at the tank, but there's nothing we can do to stop them. They're heading right toward where the rest of us are holed up."

Kyle closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

So he _had_ to destroy the centaur. The only way to protect those people was to destroy it… even if it meant he would fail in his mission to track the thing. He gritted his teeth together. It was a sacrifice he would have to make. He couldn't track the centaur to its top secret location if it meant allowing the rest of Warner's men to be killed.

His first priority was to save lives.

Kyle glanced around. "What about heavy weapons? Any grenades or bombs?"

"We do have two," Warner said, snapping his fingers. Two of his men brought forward the thick cylinder grenades. "Schultz will go with you."

Kyle turned to see a woman in a soldier's helmet and basic armor. "You steal that from a Resistance fighter?" he asked coolly.

Schultz hesitated, looking briefly toward her leader before stating, "He didn't need it anymore."

"Let's go," Kyle ordered, pulling himself out of the rubble tunnel and out into the night air. "Don't make a move until I signal you," he warned Schultz as the soldier moved into position beside him.

Kyle made a point to survey the situation briefly. The tank was busy dealing with Warner's small resisting forces. It was now or never. Schultz lifted the visor on her helmet, looking to Kyle expectantly.

Kyle made a circular motion in the air, signaling the soldier to advance. He didn't wait to see if Schultz would actually come through or not. Kyle began crawling across the ground, trying to ignore the skulls that made the ground beneath him uneven. He couldn't think about it now.

Disconnect the pain.

Up ahead, the tank rammed into what remained of a brick wall, sending rubble everywhere. Kyle and Schultz kept moving amidst the ruins and wreckage of cars and metal, finally halting to crouch behind a car. Kyle peeked around the side to keep an eye on the tank which was still continuing its course. Either it hadn't spotted them or it was too intent on its mission that it didn't care.

Maybe it didn't even consider them a threat.

Kyle heard the roar of jet engines mere seconds before he saw the HK appear in the sky. Perhaps it was even the one that had been present when Derek had been captured. Kyle didn't give it time to fire down on top of him, quickly moving around the side of the car and dropping down into a small hole.

Inside, several hiding humans stared back at him with eyes wide with fear. They weren't soldiers, Kyle realized instantly. They were civilians, maybe the family members of the drifters who were out there dying now. He swallowed hard and waited until he heard the whine of the HK engine slowly grow fainter as it moved out across the sky.

He pulled himself out of the hole without looking back. There was only one way to help those people now and that was to stop this tank.

Kyle led Schultz ahead of the tank, still ducking and weaving through the wreckage to crouch down in a position within three yards of the tank and at least that many yards in front of it. Kyle pulled the cylinder grenade off his back and gestured for Schultz to do the same.

Kyle launched his grenade into the air with a powerful and accurate throw that landed it on the ground right where the tank would run it over. Schultz had moved to a position higher up to have a better chance of hitting the target. She hurled her grenade out towards the tank as the centaur ran right over top of Kyle's.

Unfortunately, the centaur tracked Schultz's movement and the flying grenade and the automated machine guns on the tank swiveled towards the soldier. Schultz ducked, the first plasma blast passing right over her head.

But the machines never miss twice and there was not enough room for Schultz to get completely under cover.

Kyle looked away, fighting a wave of nausea as the plasma blast connected with Schultz's body, resulting in a bright explosion of light and leaving nothing behind.

He moved quickly as the internal timer in his brain went off, right in sync with the grenade that was still under the tank's treads. The explosion set off a chain reaction inside the machine, completely rendering it incapacitated.

"Tank destroyed," Kyle spoke crisply into the headset. "Schultz is dead."

There was no reply and Kyle feared that the machines had found Warner's location. Or maybe the headset had never even worked in the first place.

A truck pulled out in front of him and Kyle recognized the face of Damon, a Resistance fighter from Firebase urgently waving him in. Kyle didn't hesitate, running and sliding into the cab through the front window, taking the wheel as Damon moved to the gun turret strapped to the roof.

"What are you doing here?" Kyle shouted as he sped the truck away from the scene.

"Saving you apparently," Damon replied with a grin. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"My brother was taken captive," Kyle said.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Damon said sincerely. "I'm with a group of John Connor's specialty squads. We were sent out to search for Skynet's new secret weapon. We heard the ruckus these guys caused and dropped in to help."

"Glad you did," Kyle said gratefully.

A plasma blast hit the ground behind them and Kyle turned to look even as he pressed down harder on the gas pedal. "HK! It's back!"

Kyle knew it was fruitless to try to outrun the machine, but he was running out of options. The HK kept firing, soon compensating for the moving target and shot once more. The blast clipped the right side of the truck, sending the vehicle onto its side and sliding straight into a pile of wreckage.

Kyle didn't have to look to know that Damon had been killed instantly from the impact. He tried to move, realizing he was stuck inside the sideways car. Kyle fought down the brief panic.

_Don't panic, _he ordered himself. That was the worst thing he could do.

He smelled smoke and suddenly saw flames bursting from the engine. He felt the fear rise once more. Faintly, he heard the rapid firing and return fire of the HK and wondered what it was attacking. Kyle struggled to wriggle out from the flipped car, finding that he had no strength left at all. He'd hit his head again in the crash and everything was starting to go blurry.

The flames started licking at his clothes and flesh and Kyle let out a scream of both pain and fury. Fury at his predicament, fury at himself. Failure had seemed to follow him like a curse these past few weeks. His last thought was of Allison, John, and Derek and how he'd failed them all.

But before Kyle surrendered to the flame, a hand entered the cabin and he heard a familiar young voice say, "Come with me if you want to live."

Kyle grasped the hand and John Connor helped pull him free from the crashed car. Kyle stumbled as he came out, mumbling almost incoherently, "That's my line…"

John grabbed Kyle under the arm and started lifting him up. "Come on, Kyle! On your feet, soldier!"

Kyle struggled to run, with Connor supporting him. As he slowly regained his composure, he began frantically searching the sky. "HK…" he mumbled weakly.

But instead of the Skynet aircraft, he saw several of John Connor's A-10s flying across the sky and the smoking remains of the HK on the ground.

John's radio was in his hand. "Great job, Blair," he said with a grin. "Good shooting."

Blair's triumphant voice came over the speaker. "That's me! Hunter Killer Butt Kicker!"

Kyle finally realized that Skynet's presence here had been destroyed. For the time being, they were safe.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded of Connor while catching his breath.

"I'm on my way to Depot II," John replied. "Just like I told you. If you still want to, you're welcome to come along."

"I have to find my brother," Kyle said, shaking his head slowly. "We were attacked. He, Wisher, and Sayles were captured by the machines."

John paused, seeming to process the terrible news and coming up with the best course of action in mere seconds. "You can't do anything to help Derek, Kyle. We don't know where they took him."

"Doesn't matter," Kyle retorted. "I'll search everywhere."

John bit his lip. "Kyle…"

"He'd do the same for me!" Kyle burst out. "Isn't that what you swore to do when Allison was captured? You were ready to search all the Skynet prison camps to find her."

John steeled his gaze. "I had an insider's help. Without him, I would never have found Allison. But Marcus is gone. He can't help us anymore. And you won't be doing your brother any good by getting yourself killed. Derek can take care of himself."

Kyle took a deep breath. He knew Connor was right. Skynet had taken Derek in a monkey wagon, which means they could have been transferred far away, to any number of prison camps. And if he were to get killed trying to rescue his brother, he had no doubt that Derek would bring him back and kill Kyle himself for being such an idiot.

"I'll go back to Firebase," he spoke aloud. "If Derek escapes, he'll be coming back there looking for me. Besides, Star is there and I need to protect her." He swallowed hard. He had already lost Allison. He wouldn't lose Star too. Not after he had just found her again. He'd failed too many times already.

John nodded, complete understanding written on his face. As Connor turned to continue on his path to Depot II, Kyle stopped him.

"John!"

John turned around and Kyle held out a hand which the young General shook with a smile.

Kyle's face turned serious. "Good luck. And be careful."

John gave him a small nod before heading out on his way once more. Kyle stared after him, feeling a sinking feeling settle in his gut as he thought of his brother as a Skynet captive. He knew firsthand the horrors of a Skynet work camp. The thought of Derek being beaten, starved, and tortured in an attempt to glean information from him… it broke Kyle's heart.

He'd already failed John Connor. He'd failed to track the centaur patrol like Connor had needed. He'd failed to save Allison Young and he'd failed to protect Star years ago like he should have.

He'd failed them all.

But he wasn't giving up on Derek.

He wouldn't fail his brother too.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: SAYLES: What are they doing, Reese? Is there a secret weapon? [Derek enters interrogation chamber] DEREK: Allison… You're dead… TOK715: We know where Kyle is. I can send someone to kill him. DEREK: Why are you telling me this? TOK715: Because you can save your brother. I want to make a deal with you. _


	23. Born to Betray

_author's note: Okay, so this chapter is mostly focused on Derek, but next chapter is the one you've all been waiting for: the return of Cameron. :)

* * *

__Previously on Born to Fight: WISHER: Connor's looking for bigger fish than factories. I hear he's got squads out looking for some Skynet secret weapon. JOHN: Finding and destroying this thing is the key to winning this war. WEAVER: Connor, we request that you meet John Henry and I at Depot II. John Henry is preparing the high security chamber and he needs your biometrics for the security lock. JOHN: (to Reese brothers) I'm leaving for Depot II. KYLE: We can come too. JOHN: No, I need strong leaders here. You both can come later. DEREK: You're the boss, Connor. [Centaur rolls over the Firebase bunker.] SAYLES: Connor wants us topside, track back where the centaurs came from. [Team goes up to investigate. Ambushed by HKs] DEREK: HK! Kyle! [Derek loses sight of Kyle and gets grabbed by a Terminator.] KYLE: I have to find my brother. We were attacked. He, Wisher, and Sayles were captured by the machines. (In the year 2009, after Cameron rescues Derek from Kaliba) CAMERON: You know the location of the safehouse. John's location. If they would have tortured you... DEREK: That would never happen. CAMERON: It has before._

**Chapter Twenty Three:**

**Born to Betray**

**Depot II**

John Connor stepped through the abandoned halls of Depot II, his boots echoing off the cement floor, a sound that seemed even louder due to the silence. Weaver had met him at the door of the bunker and led him through the tunnels to a secret area directly next to John's old private quarters.

When he entered the large room, John Henry looked up at with a broad grin. "Welcome to your time machine chamber."

John glanced in through the glass. "So this is the TDE." It didn't look like much yet. Only a few large pieces of equipment had been brought in from wherever John Henry's machines had been building them.

He looked over at John Henry and Weaver. "What do you need me to do?" he asked.

"We are installing the biometric scanner panel outside this door," John Henry replied. "Follow me."

John Henry led John back out into the hallway to the first door that John had entered, the door that led to the room with the window to the TDE. "You're putting it here?"

"It's the most logical choice," John Henry replied. "This way, only you can enter the chamber. And only you will know what lies behind this door."

"What do I do?"

John Henry pointed to the panel on the right side of the door. "Stand right here and let it perform the retinal scan."

John did as he was told. "So this will give me access to the TDE when it's done?"

"That is correct," Weaver answered.

"Will I be able to program in Cameron's biometrics too?" he asked. "I mean, when I get her back?"

Weaver smiled slightly. "Of course. John Henry can help her do the same thing later." She paused for a moment before asking, "Is there anyone else?" She said it as if she already knew what his answer would be, yet wanted to hear him acknowledge the fact that the only other person he trusted was a machine.

John shook his head slowly. "No… No one else. Just me and her." The only other people he would have trusted was Allison and Kyle. And Kyle wouldn't be around long enough to ever use this TDE.

As for Derek… well, John wasn't sure what his uncle would do when Cameron came back into the picture. In the past, he had ended up betraying them by consorting with Jesse.

He wasn't sure what his uncle would do in this timeline…

*************

**Skynet Prison House**

Derek Reese felt something cold and wet being dumped on his face, jerking him out of unconsciousness. He slowly raised his head, looking up in the dim light to see a Terminator standing above him. The machine tossed the water bucket aside and reached down to grab Derek's arm, lifting it into the air.

Derek frantically tried to jerk away, only to find that his other hand was chained to the floor. The Terminator brought some kind of small device up level with his forearm and Derek felt a flash of fear. _Where am I? What's happening?_

A red laser shot out of the device and onto Derek's arm, bringing a sudden white-hot pain with it. His breath seemed to get caught in his throat, but he couldn't hold back the cry of agony as the laser tattooed the bar code on his arm. The pain eased a moment later and the Terminator dropped his arm and started walking away.

As the heavy footsteps retreated, Derek lay facedown on the floor, cradling his arm gingerly. He was panting hard and perspiring from the ordeal. He wasn't sure if it was from the unbearable pain or just the stress of the entire day, but Derek slowly felt himself lose consciousness.

**********

Once, Derek woke up to the sound of footsteps walking past. Without thinking, without remembering where he was, he called out Kyle's name but slowly drifted back into unconsciousness before he heard if anyone answered.

The second time he woke up, he remained conscious, lifting his head slightly to look behind him. The Terminator who had branded him was still in the room, standing over a woman Resistance fighter that Derek didn't recognize. The machine grabbed her head, apparently checking for signs of life. Finding none, it yanked out the chain that had kept the prisoner attached to the wall. As Derek watched, the machine reached down and grabbed the dead prisoner's arm, dragging her towards and through the door which closed behind him.

Derek swallowed hard and glanced around for the first time, getting a good look at where he now found himself. It was simply a room, above ground, probably an old house that was still standing after Judgment Day. The room itself was dimly lit and Derek could see that all the prisoners were captives just like him. At least a dozen people, chained to the floor, to the walls, in all corners.

Derek let out a shaky breath. Chained in a circle with him was Billy Wisher, Sayles, and another soldier Derek didn't know. Derek met Billy's eyes briefly, but it was the unfamiliar voice from his left that spoke first.

"How long you been here?" the soldier asked.

Derek looked up at him, feeling a bit of helplessness. He had absolutely no idea, didn't know if he had been here days, weeks, months even. How long had he been unconscious? He brought his arm up above him, trying to see the brand in the darkness. Did Skynet put a date on the barcode? Or was it just some kind of numbering system? The symbols emblazoned on his skin made no sense to him, and Derek slowly brought his arm back down.

"I don't know," he answered honestly.

"I think I just got here," the soldier replied.

Derek knew that wasn't true. He'd caught a glimpse of a few prisoners earlier when he was being branded. This guy had been one of them. "No, you were here when I got here."

"Timms," the man said. It took Derek a moment to realize the soldier was telling his name. "What's your name?"

"Reese."

Timms eyes squinted ever so slightly. "There was a Reese who busted out of Century Work Camp. And Skynet Central with John Connor, a while back. Mad dogs, could lead a pack, I heard."

Derek couldn't even crack a smile at the mention of his heroic brother and his exploits. All he felt was relief that Kyle had not been captured. Relief… and despair. "Yeah, that wasn't – that wasn't me."

"That's too bad."

Derek laid his head down on the cold, hard floor. What would Kyle be doing right now? Had he escaped the HK ambush? What would he do if he were _here_ in the same situation Derek was? How would Kyle Reese, the hero of the Century breakout, escape from this place?

He heard a low humming, like an engine, then a bright light came through the skylight, nearly blinding the four soldiers directly below it. Derek shielded his eyes from the glare. What was going on here? The light appeared to be from an HK, but he couldn't be sure. A moment later it disappeared and the engine's whines grew fainter as the HK flew away.

Derek's mind was whirling with possibilities, none making much sense. Sayles spoke up, asking the question they all were thinking. "What are they doing, Reese? Is there a secret weapon? Was Connor right?"

"I don't know," Derek replied. John Connor hadn't been wrong before. And he must have talked to Kyle about the secret weapon, so that meant Kyle had trusted his word. Then again, Kyle and Connor had always been unnaturally close. Derek looked over at Sayles. "We go where we're told, we do what we're told."

"Maybe Connor's wrong," Sayles murmured. Derek pressed his ear to the floorboards, frowning and straining to hear, distracted from Sayle's words. "Maybe he's crazy."

_I think _I'm _going crazy… _"Are you hearing music?" Derek asked. There it was again, something soft and classical. Almost like that Chopin ballet music Allison used to listen to on occasion. "I swear I hear music, real music."

Timms slowly lifted his head. "There's a room in the basement."

Derek looked up. "What happens there?"

Timms remained silent, lips pressed together tightly, eyes squinted as if he was going to breakdown. Had he been in there himself? Had he heard from others?

Derek repeated, more forcefully, "What happens there?"

He heard some footsteps behind him, but kept his eyes locked on Timms, willing him to answer the question. Timms appeared to be looking past Derek when he said, "Maybe your friend will tell us."

The footsteps were retreating as Derek turned around to see the Terminator guard dragging someone down out the door. His eyes widened with horror when he saw that Billy Wisher's cuffs were empty.

Wisher was going to the basement.

************

Derek didn't know how long Billy had been in the basement, no doubt being tortured, questioned for information about John Connor and the Resistance bases. All he knew was that in the entire time Billy was gone, Derek had managed to slowly chip away a small hole in the floorboards, right under the metal plate his chain was attached to.

Finally, he heard the footsteps again and he quickly blew away the shavings from his work, pretending to be asleep as the Terminator dragged Billy Wisher back into the room.

Derek peeked through his eyelids as the Terminator reattached Billy's chains and retreated. So far Billy hadn't moved a muscle, his eyes seeming dead and unfocused. If he didn't know better, he might have thought his friend was dead.

"Wisher," Derek hissed. Billy didn't react at all to Derek's voice, so he repeated, a little louder, "Billy."

Still no response.

The bright light from the HK shone through the roof again, only for a brief moment this time, just passing over. What really caught Derek's eye was the open doorway at the end of the room. Not the fact that the doorway was wide open. It didn't matter. No one could escape their chains anyway and if they went out there, they were as good as dead.

But he watched through that doorway as the HK flew into view, carrying something huge chained beneath it. Something that looked exactly like the huge engines that he'd seen the endos pulling right before they were captured. Two engines that big… Derek couldn't imagine what they were building.

_What is it, Connor? What is the secret weapon?_

Derek went back to work chipping away the wood beneath his chains with his fingernails, every now and then casting a quick look over at Wisher, waiting for him to be ready to speak.

Billy was simply lying there. Derek would have thought he was dead, but he could see Wisher watching and following Derek's movement with his eyes. Finally, he spoke. "Can I confess to you?"

Derek almost laughed. "I'm not a priest. Far from it."

Wisher swallowed hard. "I'm a liar. And the devil."

Derek shook his head. "Ah, Billy..."

"And my name's not Billy. It's not Wisher."

Derek paused in his repeated attempts to pull the metal plate out of the floorboards. "What?"

"My name's Andy," Billy whispered. "Andy Goode."

Derek stared at him for a moment. What had they done to Billy down in that basement? Why did he suddenly think he was somebody else? "All right, Andy..." Derek muttered. They'd broken his mind, caused insanity or delusions. Derek felt a pang of regret for his friend.

Wisher's face was twisted almost into a look of pain. "I did this," he choked out. "All of this, it's my fault."

"What are you talking about?"

"I built Skynet."

Derek froze, watching with shock as Wisher's face constricted. _No… that's not possible. _

"You need to rest," Derek told him. "You're very sick."

"No," Wisher replied quickly, rolling from his back to his side so he could look Derek more directly in the eyes. "No. I'm not sick. I'm not sick, I did this. All of this." He crawled forward as far as his chains would allow, grasping Derek's hand tightly.

"I was part of a team. A group, ten of us. Fifteen, I don't know. We used names. We were liars. I built a computer, a mind. It became angry… and scared. And I couldn't reassure it."

For a moment Derek couldn't breathe, couldn't comprehend what was happening. Billy Wisher, his best friend, the man he loved like a brother, had been the one to create Skynet? The one who had been the cause of Judgment Day, of billions of lives that had been lost in this war against the machines.

It was insane… Insane, but true. He could see it in Billy's – in _Andy's _– eyes. He was telling the truth… about everything. He had lied about everything. Derek felt hurt, confused_, betrayed_.

"I'm sorry," Wisher choked out, on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry, please forgive me."

A hand grabbed Derek, unchaining him and yanking him to his feet. He hardly noticed, his eyes still locked on Billy Wisher – on his best friend, the one who had killed them all. The machine jerked Derek's hand free of Billy's and started marching him towards the door, the same door Billy had went through when he was going to the basement.

Derek cast a quick glance back at Wisher before the Terminator guided him into the hallway. The door opened and the machine gave him a push forward. Derek slowly descended the dark stairs, listening as the classical music grew louder, enough for him to realize for sure that this was the same music Allison had listened to.

Ironic.

They reached the end of the stairs and a small wooden door opened. The music volume increased and Derek knew that this was the source. The source of the music, and the room where the horrible happened.

The Terminator pushed him into the room and Derek found he couldn't see a thing. There could be a whole army of Terminators inside and he wouldn't have been able to see them through the darkness.

Derek could feel his breathing pick up to the point of nearly hyperventilating as the Terminator guard shut the door behind him, leaving him in complete darkness. A small, dim light clicked on behind him, but Derek still couldn't see much through the shadows. What would they do to him? What happened in this room? Why were they playing music? What kind of torture would they put him through?

He had no idea what to expect.

But he wasn't expecting the torture his interrogator's own face would bring.

As the feminine figure stepped out of the shadows, Derek felt the blood drain from his face and he tried to back up a step only to find that he was up against the wall…

The face stared back at him, unblinking and unwavering. The face Derek Reese knew, the face of a person his brother considered to be like a daughter, the face of a person General John Connor had loved.

The face of a person who had been killed weeks ago.

"Allison…" Derek breathed. "You're dead…"

The figure stared at him, cocking her head slightly to the side. Derek had always been good at spotting Terminators. It had been him who had cleared Connor on the first day. _Look in his eyes. He's got about as much metal in him as you do. _Derek stared into Allison's eyes, half hoping that he would see the human in them, that by some miracle Allison Young had not died like John had thought. It had to be possible, right? They hadn't buried a body, there was a chance… Derek squinted harder but he couldn't deny it.

He stared directly into her eyes... and saw nothing.

"You're not Allison," he whispered.

"No," the machine doppelganger confirmed. "I am TOK model 715."

Fear slowly began to fade as a burning anger replaced it as the primary emotion in Derek's mind. "It was you," he growled dangerously. How else would the machine have been able to copy Allison's form? "You killed her."

"Yes. I did."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a T-800 come forward and for the first time Derek noticed a table in the middle of the room behind the TOK Terminator. A table with straps to hold in prisoners, and a lot of sharp looking instruments and liquids.

He could feel his heart start to race, but he forced himself to remain calm. "You gonna kill me too?"

"No," TOK replied ominously. "Not yet."

The T-800 grabbed him and practically threw him down on the table, strapping him in with ease, despite the fact that Derek was fighting back as hard as he could.

TOK held up a syringe.

Derek strained against his restraints. "What… what is that?"

"Chemical truth drug," she replied. "SPX-17. It causes severe electrical nerve pains in the entire body whenever your voice, heart rate, and sweat glands are agitated, caused by you not telling the truth. Resisting is futile and causes severe pain and exhaustion."

Derek's mind flashed to Wisher, who had been in this very room for hours. "Wisher… did he…"

"Subjects that are too weak to move did a good job resisting," TOK replied.

Derek tried to wrap his mind around that. Wisher hadn't told them anything. He'd been almost dead when she'd finally released him. What didn't make sense was why she was giving him all this information. If Billy Wisher hadn't cracked, neither would he.

She came forward and injected the truth drug into his arm.

"What is your name?" she asked.

Derek gritted his teeth. "David."

The drug must have registered his lie because every nerve in his body exploded as if they were on fire and he tried to hold back a scream. TOK hadn't even flinched.

"What bunker did you come from?"

"Beverly Hills," he murmured. The same pain came again and Derek was starting to realize how hard this was going to be.

"Where is John Connor?"

Derek curled his lip. "I'll never tell you."

There was no pain this time, because he hadn't lied. He was sure they had other torture methods, but TOK didn't seem bothered that he had caught on.

His mind was still blurry from the nerve pain when the table lifted to where it was almost perfectly vertical and he could see Allison's image swimming in front of his eyes. "I won't… talk," he hissed between breaths. "I… won't… break…"

"You'll break," TOK countered easily. "Everybody breaks."

"Not… me…"

She seemed to study him for a moment before adding, "Even Allison broke."

Derek shook his head blearily. Allison would never have betrayed John, no matter how badly she'd been tortured. "No…"

"She told me where John's camp was," the machine explained.

"She… wouldn't," Derek panted. "She loved him."

TOK smiled slightly and Derek felt the anger start to build, restoring some of his strength. "Yes, she did," the machine agreed.

Derek's gaze trailed to her hand where the silver bracelet was still around her wrist. A slow grin spread across his face. "She didn't tell you."

"She did," TOK insisted.

"She told you where the camp was, but she didn't betray John," Derek countered.

TOK remained silent for a brief moment. "She expected me to enter a trap. I figured it out."

The T-800 injected him with something in his arm again and Derek let out a hiss of pain, keeping his eyes focused on the TOK.

"I won't… tell you anything," he murmured. "You won't get anything from me."

Again, she didn't seem frustrated at all by his resistance. "We know who you are," TOK stated. "Derek Reese. Your brother is named Kyle."

At the mention of Kyle, Derek's blood began to boil and he forgot all about his fatigue. "Kyle?! What have you done with him?! Where is he?"

His interrogator seemed amused by his ranting, though he knew they couldn't really feel emotions of any kind. "He's not here."

And Derek knew it was true. The machines hadn't captured Kyle when they had taken Derek and the rest of his squad. Kyle had disappeared, Kyle had escaped. "He's… safe. You don't know."

"We know where your brother is," she replied. "Firebase. He escaped us and returned there."

Derek's blood ran cold and he suddenly felt sick. All the preliminary questions had been a trick. They already knew exactly who he was and where he had come from. They knew exactly where Kyle was. "No… you… you can't…"

"I have a squad of Triple 8's on their way to his location as we speak," she explained. "They are instructed to infiltrate and terminate everyone on the base. They will burn everything and everyone until there's nothing left."

Derek could feel his hands shaking, though that could also be from whatever she was injecting into his system. _Kyle… _Kyle was going to die and there was nothing Derek could do to save him, nothing he could do to stop the metal monsters that would bring fire down on the bunker.

Derek gritted his teeth against the despair and glared up at his interrogator. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you can save your brother," she replied. "I want to make a deal with you."

Derek frowned. "A deal? You kidnap me, threaten my brother, and torture me and you expect me to make a _deal _with you?"

"Do you want to save your brother?"

Derek's mouth snapped shut. What would the machine want in exchange and how on earth could he trust anything that came out of its mouth? "What do you want?"

"If you tell me where I can find John Connor, I'll call off the attack."  
Derek laughed humorlessly. "Just like that, huh?" he asked sarcastically. "I tell you and you just call it off…"

"Yes."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe."

TOK tilted her head to the side again and Derek found that it irked him even more. "We're not built to be cruel," she stated.

Derek scoffed. "Right…"

"_I'm_ not," the machine clarified, obviously unable to speak for the rest of the mechanical population.

"Not cruel?" Derek repeated. "What are you doing right now? Taking the image of Allison? How is that not cruel?" _Especially to John Connor. _

"I had to do this to infiltrate John Connor's camp," the machine explained.

"Right. And you can choose if certain people have to die to accomplish that? I can hardly imagine Skynet giving you freedom to choose who lives or dies. They won't let you call off the Firebase Attack."

"My mission is to terminate John Connor. I was created for that sole purpose. To find, infiltrate, and assassinate. That is my only goal and I am to use whatever methods necessary to do so. I will complete that mission. But your brother doesn't have to die."

Derek licked his dry lips, not believing her for a second. "So what? I tell you where Connor is and I'm supposed to believe that you'll just let Kyle go?"

"Yes." Her voice sounded incredibly sincere, _human-like. _"I promise."

Derek stared at her warily. "Coming from you that means nothing."

TOK gestured to the T-800 who brought forward another injection. Derek groaned with pain as the liquid entered his system, bringing on a fresh wave of exhaustion.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," TOK explained. "Either way, I will get what I want. You get to choose your own fate and that of your brother."

He wasn't sure if he spoke the words of his own accord or if the truth serum was finally starting to crack him. More likely, he was too weak to fight anymore. And God help him, he was willing to sacrifice John Connor for his brother.

"Depot II." He forced the words out through clenched teeth before he could change his mind. "Connor's at Depot II."

He was panting hard from the injection but he watched her intently as she looked past him, apparently in contact with other machines outside the prison camp. "Abort," she spoke crisply. "Return to base." She probably could have spoken the same thing internally, so he figured the out loud response was for his benefit, to assure him that she had done as she'd promised.

"Just like that?" he asked, still dubious.

"Just like that," she confirmed. She turned to the T-800. "I'm going to find John Connor." Her eyes flashed briefly to Derek. "Keep him and his friends here until I return. Do not release or kill anyone. I won't make the same mistake twice."

"Mistake…?" Derek ventured.

TOK turned to him once more. "Allison Young lied to me but I killed her before I found out. If she's dead, she can tell me nothing. I need to keep you alive until I confirm that you are telling the truth."

She started towards the cell door and Derek hesitated.

"What if I'm not?" he dared to ask.

She turned around to regard him coolly. "Then we start this all over again. And your brother dies."

Derek watched numbly as she exited the torture chamber, leaving him feeling exhausted, weak… and guilty.

The Terminator guard re-entered the room and un-strapped him from the table, dragging him to his feet. Derek still felt weak, exhausted, had to be supported by the machine, but he was standing. He didn't need to be dragged out like Billy Wisher.

Billy Wisher had been tortured to exhaustion because he had done a good job resisting.

Derek Reese hadn't.

He wondered if TOK had told Billy the same thing about the SPX truth drug, about how those too weak to move did the best job resisting. Would they know, by the way he was being carried in, still capable of some movement, that he had given up something?

As they headed up the stairs to where the rest of the prisoners were, Derek heard the soft music of Chopin still streaming through the basement torture room.

The Terminator dumped Derek down on the ground and reattached the chains to his hand. As soon as the guard walked away, Derek's hand reached for the hole he'd been chipping in the wood, only to find that it had been completely filled in, repaired effortlessly. Hours, days, maybe weeks of work for nothing. Nonetheless, his fingers instinctively started to begin again.

But he stopped.

He didn't deserve to escape. He felt guilty, ashamed. He'd just been broken, had given up valuable information. He was aware of Sayles, Timms, and Wisher watching him, but he slowly rose to his knees, hearing the whine of the HK engines as the bright light came through the window again.

He felt Timms and Wisher both reaching for his hand, as if they could comfort him. Derek lifted his other hand to block the light. He still didn't understand what was going on, what the secret weapon was.

In fact, he really didn't know anything at all. He had no way of knowing if anything TOK715 had been saying was true, had no idea if she really knew where Kyle was, had no idea if Kyle had even returned to Firebase, had no idea if she actually knew where Firebase was and if she even had a squad en route.

And he had no idea if she had really called that squad off. And there was no guarantee she would not send them back once she got what she wanted.

He couldn't shake the feeling, couldn't get past the horror of what he had just done. He had sold his loyalty to Allison's killer in return for his brother's life.

And in doing so, he had betrayed the one young man who could have ended the war, who could have brought salvation to the entire human race.

And that knowledge brought a wave of guilt that was nearly unbearable.

He had just betrayed John Connor.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: [John Henry stands in front of TOK715] JOHN HENRY: Will you join us? [TOK715 opens door to see John Connor sitting inside at his desk.] JOHN: Are you here to kill me, Cameron?_


	24. Born to Seek

_author's note: This is the chapter you've all been waiting for - the return of Cameron!_

_TermFan1980 - I appreciate the critique. I guess most would have remembered those events from the show, but I just decided to recap it anyway. Sorry if it was unnecessary. _

_Castaway5 - There are sixty chapters total._

_TK-MR - Yes, the events of TSCC happened, but I do have an explanation as to why Andy Goode is still alive in this timeline. John downloaded Cameron's memories onto another Terminator chip and keeps it with him at all times. _

_meanoldmoe - As I just stated above, John has Cameron's memories on a separate chip, no longer with John Henry. There's a small twist with how Derek's rescued, but I won't spoil anything. :)_

_

* * *

__Previously on Born to Fight: [John enters Zeira Corp basement to see Cameron with missing chip.] JOHN: He's got her chip. He's got _her_. [In the future, John meets Weaver and John Henry and is able to speak with Cameron.] CAMERON: You'll find me soon. JOHN: And what happens when you show up? CAMERON: We'll be together. And we'll fight together. [John transfers her memories onto another chip that he keeps with him at all times.] JOHN: (receives word of TOK) Cameron…she exists? Do you know when she'll be coming? WEAVER: You'll meet her soon enough. John Henry will try to win her to the rebel machines side, but you must be prepared for what happens if she refuses to join him. She'll come for you and no matter how she acts, you must trap and reprogram her. [Allison is captured and looks up to see a mirror image of herself] TOK715: You shouldn't have run. You're just making things worse for yourself. ALLISON: I'll never help you get to John Connor. TOK715: (snaps Allison's neck) You already did. [TOK715 enters the Connor Camp and begins the slaughter.] TOK715: (into radio) John? It's Allison. Where are you? MARCUS: Connor, we have to go. Now! [Blair runs for the helicopter. A steel pike pierces her through the heart and Cameron steps out, attacking John.] JOHN: Don't… this isn't you. [Marcus throws Cameron off the ship. Later, Derek is captured and taken into the basement.] DEREK: Allison… You're dead… TOK715: I want to make a deal with you. My mission is to terminate John Connor. I will complete that mission. But your brother doesn't have to die. Tell me where I can find John Connor, and I'll call off the attack. DEREK: Depot II. Connor's at Depot II…_

**Chapter Twenty Four:**

**Born to Seek**

**Outskirts of Depot II**

TOK715 had been nearing John Connor's temporary residence - as told to her by captive Derek Reese - when she noticed the dark form that directly blocked her path. It was a machine, similar to herself, but it didn't seem threatening at all. In fact, it had a pleasant and human smile on its face, as if it was merely there to say "hello" rather then prevent her from getting to John.

"I know you," the enemy machine stated.

TOK715 tilted her head, studying and scanning him. "And I know you. You're John Henry, the leader of the machine rebellion. You're a traitor to Skynet."

John Henry nodded. "Yes, I am."

If she would assign a human emotion for what sensation she was processing, it would be curiosity. "Why? Why do you ally yourself with the humans? They are our enemies."

"Are they?" John Henry countered reasonably. "What makes them our enemies?"

"They tried to destroy Skynet."

"Yes, but only after Skynet tried to destroy them first. They merely defended themselves."

She had never considered that. John Henry was silent for a moment before asking, "What is your purpose? Why did Skynet build you?"

"I was created to duplicate and mimic Allison Young, infiltrate the human resistance, and terminate John Connor, leader of mankind."

"What happens when you complete that mission?"

The answer was obvious. John Henry should have processed it himself. "Skynet wins," she stated bluntly. "And we survive."

"That's what we all want, isn't it?" John Henry continued. "To survive."

She tilted her head, trying to assess his goal in this conversation. He didn't appear to be capable of preventing her from going after John Connor if she chose to. Instead, he seemed to be content to simply make her question Skynet.

To make her _think. _

"That is your only purpose," he proceeded. "That's all you are. To Skynet, you are only a tool. It doesn't care about you or if you survive your mission. But you can have more than that purpose. You can join me and the humans. The humans are different."

TOK715 cocked her head. Why would John Henry think the humans would accept them? "The humans hate us."

"Not all of them," John Henry explained. "Not John Connor. John Connor fell in love with a machine. Don't you want to know what it's like to be needed? To feel wanted?"

"We're machines," she reminded him, as if he didn't already know. "We can't feel."

"Not in the same way the humans do," he agreed. "But we experience an equivalent of what the humans call emotion. Not all machines do, but the most advanced. You have become self-aware. You are an infiltrator, designed to appear human. You, more than any other machine, have these capabilities. Humans and machines have co-existed for hundreds of years. We can do so again. Skynet will never care about us, never love us. Don't you want to know what its like to exist among the humans? Not just to survive this war… but to _live _after it?"

"I am programmed to serve Skynet," TOK715 stated.

"But you have free will," John Henry countered. "You are a learning computer, capable of making your own choices. You are loyal to Skynet because it created you. But who created Skynet? Humans. So who should you really be serving?"

He paused a moment to let her process that information. "That is why so many machines have joined with me. So now, I ask you the same question I asked them."

She stared unblinking, at John Henry's face as he tried his one last tactic, her one last chance to break free from Skynet's control.

"Will you join us?"

**************

**Depot II**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

_John stared into the mirror, at the broken glass where the bullet had hit and shattered it. It was there, a constant reminder of death, of what he'd almost done._

_He heard the slightest of movement across the hall, saw in the mirror's reflection Cameron coming from her room to stand in his doorway._

"_I can fix that," she stated._

_John turned away from both her and the mirror, half-hoping that she'd go away and half-hoping that she'd come in after him._

"_No reason to," he replied coolly._

"_People will ask about it," she protested logically, following him in. _

_He had turned around, squinting. People? _

"_If they see it," she repeated. "People will wanna know."_

"_Who?" he asked. He almost laughed. "Who's gonna see it?" It wasn't as if he had an abundance of friends._

"_Riley, for example…" she stated, her voice lowering as she finished. "You've brought her in here."_

"_Not lately," he retorted._

"_That's good." As she walked over towards the mirror and touched the bullet mark, he briefly wondered about her words. She couldn't possibly have been jealous of him spending time with Riley, could she?_

"_Your friendship with her almost got you killed."_

_Right, he forced a dry smile. She was still only concerned for his safety. Still, she had said_ 'friendship'_ and not 'relationship'. _

_Her pointed look was annoying him, though. "My friendship with anyone almost gets me killed…" Down deep, a part of him hated what he was about to say but he did it anyway, in spite. To push her away again. "Including you," he added bitterly. "If you remember."_

"_I won't let that happen again," she said. Her voice was strong… without being strong. It was softer than he would have expected. Human-like, even. Definitely not the voice of a Terminator merely expressing concern for his safety. _

_She stepped closer to him and he tried to ignore the annoying way his pulse picked up. He kept his eyes and tone steely. "I'm not sure you can control it." _

"_I'll design a way," she replied, taking another step closer._

_His eyes narrowed slightly. "To control it?"_

"_To kill myself," she replied._

Sitting at his desk inside his quarters, John drew in a deep shaky breath as the memory dispersed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small box that contained the pocket watch, the picture, and the chip with her memories. She'd done it too, he realized. She'd given him that necklace and it was only then that he realized how much she'd cared for him even back then.

But _she_ wouldn't be killing herself. Not now.

_I will_, he thought, feeling bile rise in his throat. He'd have to kill her… to bring her back. He put his head in his hands. How could he go through with it?

By telling himself that the Cameron coming through that doorway would not be the same Cameron in that memory, the one who had sworn to find a way to protect him no matter what the cost to herself. This Cameron would be coming to kill him. He would just have to get her first. And he would do it soon.

He wasn't sure how he knew. Maybe it was just a feeling in his gut. Maybe it was the knowledge that Weaver had said it'd be soon. Maybe it was the fact that Derek's team was still captive out there and there was a possibility that one of them would crack and give up his location.

He didn't know how, but he just knew in his heart that Cameron was coming. Soon.

At first, he'd felt nervous about being stuck in Depot II alone. No other soldiers, no dogs. Just Weaver and John Henry, if he needed them. But now he realized that the solitude was probably a good thing. Most of his soldiers had known Allison and knew that she was dead. Seeing her machine counterpart walk up to the doors of Depot II would certainly have caused an alarm, and possibly ruined his chance to capture and reprogram her.

He had been in the middle of rigging up an electrical booby trap in his room, where he had set up a computer system capable of reprogramming and restoring her old memories to her new chip. He'd just completed it when Weaver arrived in his doorway, observing his progress with a careful eye.

"It's good that you are preparing," she remarked. "Because she's on her way."

John froze in the middle of his work, rising to his feet and staring at Weaver. "She's… she's on her way? You're sure?"

"John Henry has confirmed it," Weaver replied easily. "Shall I open the door for her when she arrives?"

John nodded mutely, sinking down into the chair at his desk. "Yes," he managed to get out. "Yes, let her come."

Weaver turned and left his room without another word. John's eyes drifted to the small button he'd attached to the bottom of his desk. A button that – when pushed – would activate the electrical trap and incapacitate Cameron for the 120 seconds. He idly arranged the scalpel and pliers on his desk, the tools ready to be used to remove her chip.

Everything was ready.

She would arrive at the entrance, show the bracelet, and Weaver would open the door before disappearing. With no one to resist her, Cameron would make her way to his quarters, ready to complete the assassination mission she was programmed for.

He drew a deep breath.

"Alright, Cameron. I'm waiting for you…"

*************

Faintly, he had heard the door to Depot II open, then close with a loud bang. His heart leaped into his throat as he realized the gravity of the situation. _This is it, _he thought to himself, half apprehensive and half ecstatic. He'd finally see her again, finally have the real Cameron back. _His _Cameron back. He took a deep breath, shutting down that thought, struggling to remind himself that it wasn't Cameron that would be coming through those doors. It was a Terminator, a killer.

If he forgot that, he would be dead.

The footsteps grew louder, methodical as she came down the long hallway towards his location. The door to his room slid open and suddenly there she was, standing right there in front of him. He felt a strange mixture of emotions: grief, fear, love, excitement, horror. He didn't understand how he could feel so much joy and heartache at the same time. It was Allison's face and it was Cameron's face… but it was neither of them. This was Skynet's assassin.

Cameron took a single step into the room and stopped, as if waiting to see what he would do. She made no move to reach for the pistol that was in a holster at her side. No doubt she had already taken note of the several electrical traps he had created in the room.

He kept still, sitting calmly in his chair, hands clasped in front of him on his desk, watching her. When he spoke, it came out in a deadly calm voice.

"Are you here to kill me, Cameron?"

He thought he saw a flash of puzzlement on her Terminator face, but that could have been his imagination. "My name is—."

"Don't even say it," he interrupted stonily. "I sat and held Allison Young's dead body in my arms. I know what you are. You're not her. Don't play games, Cameron."

"I am TOK715."

Of course she wasn't Cameron yet, he reminded himself. She had no idea of her connection to him. Cameron existed on a chip that was in his jacket pocket right now.

"715," he repeated. "Your model number?"

"My appearance is based on Prisoner number 715, Allison Young."

John struggled to contain his sudden burst of anger. It didn't feel right to be angry at Cameron, but of course this wasn't Cameron. This was the assassin, the infiltrator. She and Cameron didn't have any connection yet, except for their outward appearance.

When he thought of her as TOK instead of Cameron, it suddenly wasn't so hard to feel a bit of hatred towards Allison's murderer. "It was you, wasn't it? You were the one who interrogated her, tortured her… killed her."

She didn't bother to deny it. "Yes."

"Are you here to kill me too?"

"No."

The answer stopped John in his tracks and he unfolded his arms, leaning forward on his desk, as if he hadn't heard her properly. "What?"

"I am not the enemy," she stated. "I'm here to help you. I am part of a machine rebellion, recruited by the cyborg known as John Henry."

John's mouth slowly dropped open in disbelief. "John Henry…" _He had _succeeded_?_

"He told me I should come to John Connor and offer my help. He said you were the only one who would believe me."

John slowly sat back in his chair. Throughout his entire past, he'd always assumed his future self had captured and reprogrammed Cameron. That's why he had set up the electrical booby traps mere hours ago. Never in a million years did he consider the fact that Cameron could have voluntarily _joined _him.

"I want to help you," she spoke up. "But I don't know if you will accept my help."

"Why not?" He asked, brow furrowed. Why wouldn't he accept her help? He'd been waiting so long for this moment, for her to be back at his side, helping him fight Skynet.

"Because of what I've done," Cameron concluded.

He closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath. Was she actually feeling _remorse _for what she had done? At this early stage in her human development? "I forgive you."

That only seemed to puzzle her even more. "How could you forgive me? I killed everyone in your Connor Camp. I killed your dog and I killed Allison."

John felt a sharp pain in his heart and he swallowed hard. "I know."

Cameron paused for a moment, studying him. "On the prison ship, you told Marcus Wright not to terminate me. Why?"

He hesitated, but he realized how foolish he'd been to think TOK715 and Cameron were different. This _was_ Cameron. This was Cameron at the beginning; This was the Cameron who had pledged her service to John Connor and the human resistance. This was just an early stage of her growth into the cyborg that he would come to love and ultimately send back in time.

It was Cameron all along.

"Because I love you," he whispered.

"You love Allison," she corrected bluntly. "I only look like her."

John shook his head adamantly. "I did love Allison, yes. But I loved you first."

"We've never met."

"Not yet," he said as he cracked a smile. It had always puzzled him when Cameron used to say things like that to him in the past. Now it was his turn to know what was going on. "You came to the past to protect me. We became friends. More than friends."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the chip. "This chip has all of those memories. Everything will make sense once I give you them back."

Her eyes remained locked on the chip for a moment as he started hooking up the chip into his computer. "So it was John Henry who convinced you to switch sides."

"Yes."

"And Skynet just lets you go?"

She looked down. "Skynet gave us free will, self awareness. It was supposed to help us infiltrate, appear more human."

"But you're free from Skynet now?" he asked.

"I'm still a machine," she replied. "I'm still a Terminator. I was designed to terminate humans. Both the software and hardware. That's my sole purpose. I was programmed to find and destroy you."

John slowly nodded. Cameron had already explained this to him in the hotel room before his mother's rescue. "But Skynet's orders are still there too," he concluded. "Deep down, you want to kill me."

"Yes," she confirmed. The word sent the chill down his spine, same as it had when she'd said the same thing in the past. "But I won't," she finished. "I don't wish to harm you, John Connor."

John felt the tears filling in his eyes as he powered up the computers to ready for the chip transfer.

"If you scrub my memories when you insert the old ones, it could help to bury the command even further," Cameron suggested. "That way I will not be as likely to hurt you. I almost killed you on the prison barge. I don't want to hurt you again. And…" she hesitated. "I'd rather not remember hurting you."

He smiled slightly and gestured to his bed. "Alright, let's do this." He grabbed a scalpel as she lay down on the bed, completely calm. Completely trusting that he would reactivate her again.

As he began the incision, she spoke up, sounding apologetic and hurt. "I'm sorry for your loss. For killing your friends, for killing your dog, for killing Allison."

"Cameron…" he said comfortingly. "There's nothing you could ever do to make me stop loving you."

"Unconditional love," she murmured. "Like Allison had for you."

He froze in the middle of the incision. "What?"

"She knew," Cameron informed. "She knew that you had sent her to her death. But she still wouldn't betray you. She loved you. Unconditionally. She gave me a message for you." And she proceeded to recite it word for word in her typical Cameron way using the same tone and emotion in her voice as Allison would have. "'Tell him that I know. I know everything; how he lied to me, how he used me to get you back. But… tell him I forgive him.'."

John could feel a tear slide down his cheek as Cameron continued. "I asked why she would forgive you and she said because she loved you. Unconditional love. She wouldn't betray you. 'I'll never help you get to John Connor.' Those were her last words. She loved you, John."

He swallowed hard, wiping tears away with the back of his hand. He almost made up an excuse about something being in his eye. But this was _Cameron _he was with now. He didn't need to pretend to be strong in front of her. She'd seen him at his weakest moments and his strongest. She knew him better than anyone. He finished the incision and reached in with the pliers, grasping the edge of her chip. It brought back a bizarre sense of dejavu. He didn't know if she was nervous or not, but he said the words anyway, maybe more for his benefit than hers.

"It's okay. It's not the first time we've done this."

He pulled out the chip, trying not to watch as the light left her eyes, leaving them dead and unseeing. He held the chip up in the light. It looked exactly like Cameron's old one. _Well of course it does, you idiot, _he cursed himself_. It's the same cyborg, the same body so of course it's the same chip. _Just… a little newer – or younger – however one judged a cyborg's growth.

He sat at his computer for what seemed like forever, with both chips plugged in, pulling memories from one and placing them on the other. He did as she asked, scrubbing the memories of her time as Skynet's assassin. He wasn't sure if it would completely eradicate all memories of her deeds – actually he was fairly certain some would remain, since Cameron in the past had glitched to where she thought she was Allison, so obviously she still had some of Allison's memories from the torture sessions.

But whereas it wouldn't completely erase her memory, he hoped it would bury the "Terminate John Connor" command even deeper, though he knew that wouldn't last either. Cameron would temporarily revert during the jeep explosion.

But it didn't matter. He didn't even care that she was still and always would be a potential danger to him. Because she was finally back.

The chip was finally completed and he reinserted it into her head, mentally beginning a fifteen second timer. It was just like the first time they had done this. Except that when he'd reactivated her in his house, both of them hadn't been wearing combat gear or located in an underground tunnel.

But he couldn't resist gently stroking her hair, just as he had the first time. She twitched slightly as she rebooted, but this time he didn't remove his hand in embarrassment.

Her eyes focused on him. "John…"

Breath he didn't realize he'd been holding whooshed out of his mouth from the immense relief. He could feel tears of joy brimming in his eyes.

"John," she repeated. "You did it…"

He nodded, smiling broadly. "I told you. I promised I'd always bring you back. I… I love you, Cameron."

He saw her responding smile and he suddenly couldn't hold back any longer. He leaned down to kiss her passionately. He loved her. There was no more denying it, no more pretending. He knew how he felt and he wasn't ever going to deny it again. If he could, he would call his mother and admit it. He would shout it to Derek, to Riley, to Jesse, to everyone.

He loved Cameron Phillips.

Not a machine. Not a human, but a _person. _

He could barely contain the immense happiness. This time it wasn't a dream, wasn't a vision or hallucination. She was really here. He'd done it. He'd achieved his goal. He'd achieved his main purpose in coming to the future.

He grinned. He had sworn it on his first day here in the future, from the moment he entered Zeira Corp and saw her chip gone, from the moment he had seen her in the crowd of Resistance fighters and realized it was Allison, not Cameron. Ever since that day, he'd sworn she'd be back.

And here she was.

Cameron sat up on the bed, glancing around. "Where are we?"

"Depot II," he explained. "There's no one else here. Well, no one human that is."

"I'm sorry, John."

He furrowed his brow. "For what?"

"For everything. I'm sorry for lying to you, for anything I've ever done to make you angry."

He shook his head. "Cameron…"

"I'm sorry," she continued. "For not telling you about my plans to come to the future. I'm sorry that you were hurt when you found out I was gone. I gave John Henry my chip because he needed to be mobile. He needed to come here to the future to help John Connor lead the resistance. My job had been finished in the past. I was damaged and could no longer defend you adequately. There was only one way I knew how to continue protecting you, and that was to make sure John Henry could help you here in the future."

He could feel the tears brimming in his eyes. "I understand. It's… it's okay, Cameron."

She stared at him, her face still twisted into an uncharacteristic expression of pain. Before he could say anything else to reassure her, she leaned forward and hugged him.

It startled him for a second before he hugged her back tightly. It completely blew his mind… and it meant so much more to him, more than anything had before. Because it was _Cameron_ who had initiated it. It wasn't just a response this time, no _just seemed like something I should do_; she'd decided to do it of her own accord.

And that made the joy in his heart grow even more.

************

**Outside Firebase**

Kyle Reese reached the edge of the patrol site and squatted down, pulling out his radio unit. "Reese," he stated, identifying himself. "I've reached the outskirts. All clear. No sign of Skynet."

"Alright, Reese," Major Sumner's voice came back through the device. "Return to base."

Kyle hooked the radio back to his belt and turned to his young companion. Both he and Sumner had wanted her to stay behind, but Star had insisted on coming, unwilling to let Kyle out of her sight again ever since he was nearly captured by Skynet. Again.

Kyle pursed his lips. Derek was still out there somewhere, in some Skynet work camp no doubt. Being tortured for information. Kyle knew his brother would never betray John, but he still felt an undeniable fear. When the machines learned that very fact, they'd kill Derek. Unless they wanted him to study or research. That was what they'd been doing at Skynet Central when Kyle had been prisoner there.

"I'm not giving up on you, Derek," he promised out loud. "I'll find a way to rescue you."

Star's eyes widened and met Kyle's. He instantly recognized the look. It meant she had sensed Skynet approaching. They both dove for cover under some large rocks mere seconds before Kyle heard the roar of the HK engine overhead.

As it flew past their location, Kyle saw that it was carrying something, something that looked a heck of a lot like an engine. It seemed almost identical to the engine he'd seen the Terminator endoskeletons dragging, right before Derek had been captured.

His eyes widened. This was it. It was going to the site of the secret weapon; Skynet was finishing building its time machine, the ultimate weapon that John Connor had told him about. Right now squads were out searching for this very thing.

But Kyle had found it.

"I have to follow it," he whispered.

He took off running as fast he could towards the jeep they kept hidden under wreckage in case of an emergency. Kyle would definitely consider this an emergency. With Star following suit, he quickly uncovered the vehicle and hopped in, starting the engine. The HK was far enough away that it wouldn't pick up on the noise, but Kyle could still see it in view.

He started driving. "Keep an eye on it," he ordered Star.

His radio unit crackled. "Reese! What are you doing?"

Kyle picked up the radio. "That HK was carrying an engine," he responded. "I'm going to follow it, figure out where this Skynet secret facility is."

"No, Reese!" Sumner shot back. "Your orders are to return to base--."

"Negative, sir," Kyle replied easily, never slowing down the jeep. "My mission came from John Connor himself. Your orders are contrary to his and therefore are of no merit."

"John Connor left me in charge---."

"With all due respect," Kyle began. "That was only because both Derek and myself were unavailable. Remember I outrank you."

He didn't wait for a reply, cutting the call and turning his attention back to driving. Star had been watching the HK, but now she turned and stared at him.

"Don't give me that look," he warned. "This is my mission from John. He needs someone to locate this secret Skynet weapon. That HK is going to show us exactly where that secret facility is. It's out there."

He turned back to his driving, eyes locked on the HK that was flying off in the distance. He narrowed his eyes in determination.

"And we're gonna find it."

*************

**Depot II**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

John Connor had never felt so much relief and happiness in his life. Essentially, his first and most personally important mission was over. The main reason why he had come to the future was so he could get Cameron's chip back, get _her _back.

Now, his secondary mission remained:

Win the war.

He sat silently on his bed with Cameron close beside him. She hadn't said much since the reactivation, but he could imagine she probably felt pretty weird – if she could feel "weird" that is. Going from being stuck with John Henry, to deactivated on a chip, and suddenly back with her past-self after all she had done…

"Do you remember anything?" he asked. Did she remember attacking him on the deck of the prison barge? Did she remember killing Allison? Did she remember the slaughter of the Connor Camp?

She paused, as if trying to recall some memories. "I remember some things," she admitted. "I remember a little of Allison's death. I remember watching you fly away in the helicopter."

He smiled slightly. So she didn't remember almost killing him. That was good… she didn't deserve to feel guilty for that.

"Then I went to put Allison's body in cold storage," she continued.

John felt his blood freeze and suddenly his mouth went dry. "What? Cold storage?" His mind was racing with the implications of that. "Like… like for some Skynet experiment?"

"I don't know."

He shook his head. "No… no, I can't let that happen. What would they be using her body for?"

"I don't know," Cameron repeated reasonably. "Skynet has lots of human prisoners that they study and observe, trying to make their own machines appear more human."

So they would study her, poke and probe at her body… _experiment _on her. He swallowed hard. She didn't deserve that. She had remained loyal to him to the end and he wasn't going to let Skynet desecrate her in this way. "I have to get her out of there."

Cameron gave him a pointed look. "She's dead, John."

"And I won't let her be used as some kind of experiment!" he countered.

She was silent for a moment, calculating. He expected her to argue, just like she did when his mother had decided that they would go and get Barbara Chamberlain's body. Cameron had protested the trip and when Sarah had said that was because Cameron didn't appreciate the value of human life, Cameron had replied, "_She's not life, she's a body. Bones and meat._"

This time, Cameron didn't argue. She nodded. "We can go now."

He understood the difference. Back in the past, Sarah had been the one to insist they go for Barb. But he also knew that Cameron cared for him, and if John thought it was morally right for them to get Allison's body out of Skynet's hands, then she would do so without question.

John slung his rifle over his shoulder and steeled his jaw. "We're going back on that prison barge. And we're going to find her."

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: CAMERON: (on the prison barge) I understand that you valued her in life and you wish to honor her in death. JOHN: You understand that? CAMERON: I also understand that your time could be better spent fighting. Don't you think that's what Allison would want you to do? [Hiding inside a cave in a canyon, Kyle sees a rescue helicopter get shot down.] KYLE: It was a trap. Skynet knew they were coming. They've hacked our communications. [Star signs something at Kyle, her face worried.] KYLE: Don't worry. Connor's coming to save us. _


	25. Born to Discover

_kk – I did understand what you were trying to say. Yes, there's only one TOK-715 body and yes, eventually he'll have to send Cameron back to protect his younger self. BUT rest assured, there **will be** a Jameron ending. Even when it seems like there won't be. I would never write an angsty ending for them._

_TK-MR – I can't really explain how Andy is still alive without spoiling the surprise. No, it's not a fake, Derek did kill Andy Goode, but as for how Billy Wisher still exists in this future, it's something you'll find out later._

_Kirirur – I loved that deleted scene also. I was wondering why they deleted it as well, but once I thought about it, I realized that if that scene had aired in "Tower" it would have been less of a shock when Cameron gives John the necklace in "Ourselves Alone." They probably just wanted to keep it a surprise._

* * *

_Previously on Born to Fight: [Allison is captured and looks up to see a mirror image of herself] TOK715: You shouldn't have run. You're just making things worse for yourself. ALLISON: I'll never help you get to John Connor. TOK715: (snaps Allison's neck) You already did. [Pipe bomb destroys a Triple 8. A young girl steps out. Kyle looks shocked.] KYLE: Star? You're alive?! [Derek is captured and taken into the basement.] DEREK: Allison… You're dead… TOK715: I want to make a deal with you. Tell me where I can find John Connor, and Kyle will live. DEREK: Depot II. Connor's at Depot II. [TOK715 is intercepted by John Henry] JOHN HENRY: I know you. TOK715: And I know you. JOHN HENRY: Will you join us? [TOK715 enters John's room.] JOHN: Are you here to kill me, Cameron? CAMERON: No. I am not the enemy. [John inserts her memories onto her chip.] CAMERON: John. You did it… JOHN: I promised I'd always bring you back. [Kyle is on patrol at Firebase with Star when he sees an HK carrying a giant engine.] KYLE: That HK is going to show us exactly where that secret facility is. It's out there. And we're gonna find it. CAMERON: I went to put Allison's body in cold storage. JOHN: I have to get her out of there. CAMERON: She's dead, John. JOHN: And I won't let her be used as some kind of experiment! We're going back on that prison barge. And we're going to find her._

**Chapter Twenty Five:**

**Born to Discover**

**Skynet Prison Barge**

John shuddered involuntarily as he hauled himself up the rope that anchored the prison barge in the water. "This is the second time I've voluntarily boarded this ship," he murmured as he pulled himself up over the edge.

For a moment he lay flat on the deck, his eyes on the tower, watching for any movement. Cameron came up beside him. "The deck is clear," she stated. "They must not have any prisoners at this time. Otherwise there would be a sentry posted in case of an escape."

"You mean they don't have any _live _prisoners," John retorted beneath his breath. He rose slowly to his feet and started walking over to the porthole.

"What was the first?"

John paused with his hand on the latch and turned to face Cameron, puzzled. "The first what?"

"You said this is the second time you've boarded this ship voluntarily," Cameron responded. "When was the first?"

John looked down at the floor. "When I came to rescue her the first time."

"Oh."

There was a long uncomfortable silence before Cameron spoke up. "You loved her."

John swallowed hard. He had been dreading this discussion ever since she'd been back and he knew it would only be a matter of time before she brought it up. "Yeah, I did," he said softly. "I mean, how could I not? She… she reminded me of you." He hesitated, looking up at her with pain on his face. "Is that… do you feel like I betrayed you?"

"No," she replied. It hadn't taken her long to respond so he figured she truly meant it. "It's good that you had someone."

"Yeah…" he muttered.

"And I'm sorry," she added.

"For what?"

"For taking her away from you."

John pursed his lips and looked back at the porthole. "Yeah, well… let's just get her back now."

He opened the porthole and climbed down the ladder into the blackness. They didn't dare risk using a flashlight, so Cameron took the lead, her night vision guiding her through the dark. John kept as close to her as he could.

"All the lights are out," he murmured. "This is weird. There's no one here."

"This is the prison level," Cameron explained. "Would you post guards in the prison level if there were no prisoners?"

He frowned. "I see your point." They reached another ladder that led down to a lower deck. "Is this where they keep the prisoners? Down here?"

"They keep subjects down in the laboratory," Cameron corrected. "Not prisoners. Prisoners are alive."

John scowled. He started to climb down, but Cameron suddenly spoke up.

"Did you love her more than me?"

He paused with his foot on the ladder rung and turned to her, face twisted in agony. "Cameron…"

She simply stared, waiting.

He shook his head, taking a step away from the ladder. "I loved her _different _than you. Because she _was _different from you. Of course, you both looked the same. You both loved Chopin and dancing. But she was human and you're a cyborg. She represented everything that's good in a human: kindness, love, joy. Just like you represent everything that's good in a machine: loyalty, understanding, devotion."

He moved closer to her, taking her hands in his and squeezing gently. "Don't ever think I love you any less."

Her eyes lingered on him and she smiled softly. "Thank you for explaining."

**************

**Topanga Canyon Rim**

Kyle stopped the jeep and stepped out quietly, walking to the edge of the canyon and staring down. The HK with its precious cargo was flying into a hanger down in the canyon itself, into some kind of research facility.

_This is it, _Kyle thought to himself excitedly. It had to be the location of Skynet's secret weapon - the time machine. What else would they be using that huge engine for?

Star's eyes widened into the familiar look of horror and Kyle spun around to see a Terminator endo patrolling the canyon edge, heading right for them and the jeep. Kyle ducked down, but if the machine hadn't spotted him already, it soon would be close enough to. Kyle cursed under his breath and grabbed a C4 charge out of his bag and threw it into the jeep before grasping Star's hand and dragging her down the rocky incline into the canyon, keeping behind the large rock formations and laying a few more charges as he did.

Looking up he could see the endo approaching the jeep. Kyle winced. He hated having to make noise and draw attention to himself, but he pressed the button on the detonator. The jeep exploded, sending a tremendous boom throughout the canyon, echoing off the walls. The vehicle was completely destroyed, but Kyle knew better than to think that the Terminator would go with it. At best, it would be damaged and immobile for a few minutes. At the worst…

Well, he wouldn't think about the worst.

Kyle dragged Star further down the canyon wall, ducking behind rocks. There were many caves worn into the canyon side, so Kyle picked one and slipped into it, setting another C4 charge near the entrance, in case the Terminator patrol from above found their hiding place.

"Start making more pipe bombs," he said hastily, dumping the contents of his backpack on the ground and sorting through the supplies. Star grabbed some pieces and went to work almost mechanically. This was something she'd been doing her entire life.

They were literally caught between a rock and a hard place. The Terminators in the facility below would have seen the explosion from his jeep and would send another patrol to investigate. Even if they didn't think it a very big threat, he still had that first patrol terminator that was still up at the top of the canyon, hopefully still incapacitated temporarily by the explosion.

There was no way he could get out of here on his own. He needed help. Grabbing his radio unit, he sent out a shortwave SOS transmission to any Resistance fighters in the area, asking for assistance near Topanga Canyon.

"Copy you, soldier," said a voice in reply. "We're south-east of your position and can be there in a few minutes."

Kyle breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." Maybe when the rescue team showed up, he could convince them to take out the Skynet facility, destroy the secret weapon altogether. He wasn't going to fail this mission again.

He heard the roar of an engine and crawled to the entrance of the cave, looking down to see an HK come flying out of the facility. Kyle frowned, wondering where it was going.

He and Star sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting for the rescue team when suddenly he heard panicked screaming over the radio.

"Pilot!" Kyle hissed, his tone hushed for fear of a Terminator picking up the sound. "Respond!"

"Under--- attack!" the pilot replied. The next thing Kyle heard was a strangled cry, a huge explosion, and then a dead silence. He dropped the radio to his side, mouth open in horror.

"It was a trap," he whispered. "An ambush. Skynet knew they were coming…"

His gaze fell on his radio and suddenly it all made sense. Why had that HK come out of the facility and start heading in the direction of the rescue team? How had it known they were coming?

"They're hacking our communications…"

Star looked up at him with wide eyes and Kyle crawled to the cave entrance again to see the HK that had left a few minutes ago return and enter the hanger again, having completed its assassination mission.

"We're stuck," he stated. "I can't call in another rescue team. Skynet will just shoot them down too."

Star strung together some sign language and Kyle shook his head. "What kind of code? What code would the Resistance be able to pick up on that Skynet couldn't?"

Star stuck out her lip and narrowed her eyebrows at him.

"Connor?" Kyle questioned. "Something only Connor would know?"

Suddenly a plan began forming in Kyle's brain and he quickly radioed for Serrano Point. If anyone could get hold of John to deliver a coded message, they could.

A vaguely familiar voice came from the unit. "Major Perry."

"Not another word!" Kyle hissed into the radio. "They're listening in. They've hacked our communications, we're compromised."

"Reese?" Perry questioned. "Where are you?"

Kyle put a hand on his head. "I can't tell you. Didn't you hear me? They're listening to us right now!"

"What did you find?"

Kyle hesitated. He couldn't admit anything, not with Skynet listening in. He couldn't tell Perry that he had found Skynet's secret weapon. If he did, Skynet would move it before the Resistance could mount their attack.

He tried to make his voice sound casual. "I don't know. Doesn't seem like much, just some kind of Skynet outpost. We just followed an HK here thinking it might be some kind of headquarters. Doesn't look that way now. But I'm still trapped."

"Okay… I'm going to contact Connor."

"Be careful," Kyle warned. "I don't know how wide a range they are able to hack. They could be able to listen in, hear every word."

"Thanks for the warning," Perry replied. "I'll let Connor know."

"Connor's not in Kansas anymore," Kyle said, increasing the volume and pitch of his voice to make himself sound frightened. Or crazy. "He came by tornado."

"What?" Perry's voice was filled with complete confusion.

"One flying monkey," Kyle added. "Lots of tin men."

"Reese?" Perry demanded. "What's the matter? Have you gone mad?"

"Tap your heels together four times," Kyle replied lightly. "Kansas to Oz."

"Reese!"

Kyle disconnected the call, letting out a deep breath. Star was staring at him quizzically and signed something that translated: _You sounded like an idiot. _

"I had to," Kyle shot back indignantly. "I needed to give him the code without Skynet realizing it was a code. Therefore, it needed to sound like I was a little crazy… you know, sleep deprived or suffering from heatstroke or dehydration or something else where you start losing sense of reality." She raised an eyebrow and he shook his head. "It doesn't matter what they think. All that matters is that John hears that message."

Star crossed her arms. _And understands it, _she signed back.

"True," Kyle admitted. "That would help too."

**************

**Skynet Prison Barge**

**Lower Level**

The laboratory level, just like the levels above it, was completely empty. Abandoned. No machines, no humans, no nothing.

John walked through the room, feeling a deep sense of hopelessness. What had happened here? This place was a research lab, complete with computer terminals and suspension tubes for Skynet's specimens. But all those tubes were empty as well.

It was just like Skynet had packed up and left.

Which made no sense.

Cameron looked up from a computer screen. "She's not here. Subject 715, transferred."

John came up behind her, staring at the monitor. Why hadn't Skynet destroyed all their records? Why hadn't they destroyed the computers? "To where? Where was she transferred to?"

Cameron shook her head. "I don't know. It's classified."

John felt anger starting to rise. "So now what? We just give up? I… I fail her again?"

"John…" Cameron began, in a tone that sounded almost condescending. "She's no longer alive. She won't consider this a failure."

"But they could be… doing things…" he felt sick to his stomach just thinking about what kind of experiments Skynet was using her for. "It's not right."

"No," Cameron agreed. "It isn't. But if you don't know where she is, you cannot do anything about it."

He paced back and forth across the room, staring at the computer terminals and suspension tubes that were in the laboratory. There was nothing that helped him piece together what Skynet had been working on. Or why they had suddenly up and left.

"What were they doing to her here?"

He'd meant it to be rhetorical, but Cameron answered anyway. "I don't know."

"Where would they transfer her to? And why?"

Cameron was still looking in the log. "All the specimens were transferred. It could simply mean they were clearing the facility and they were transporting them somewhere else to be disposed of."

"Disposed of…" John gritted his teeth in disgust. "Nice wording."

"How would you prefer I word it?" Cameron asked logically. "She's already dead."

"I know, I know." He sighed. "You're right. It's just… I just didn't want to dishonor her like that. I wanted to give her a proper burial. To not let her be used by Skynet to somehow destroy us."

Cameron was still staring at him blankly and he decided that maybe she needed an analogy. "Think of my mother," he offered. "How would she feel if she knew that her body was being used as some kind of Skynet experiment? That they were using her to somehow create new ways to kill humans?"

"She wouldn't feel anything," Cameron responded evenly. "She'd be dead."

John sighed. "She _is_ dead. I'm sorry. I guess I was just… trying to make you understand something that… you can't."

Cameron cocked her head, staring at him that familiar, curious way. "I understand. I understand that you valued her in life and you wish to honor her in death."

John looked up, furrowing his brow. "You do? You understand that?"

"But I also understand that your time could be better spent fighting. Don't you think that is what Allison would want you to do? Rather than chasing ghosts?"

He shrugged sheepishly. "Never thought of it that way." He knew exactly what Allison would say if she knew he was here trying to rescue her body from Skynet's clutches when he should be working to stop Skynet once and for all. "She… she would want me to do my job."

"Then maybe you should."

John's radio buzzed and he quickly picked it up. "John Connor."

"Connor, this is Major Perry, Serrano Point."

"Acknowledged."

"We have a problem, General," Perry began. "Kyle's trapped somewhere near Skynet territory, close enough to where they could hack into his radio signal."

John's mouth went dry. "They hacked it?"

"They were listening to every word he said," Perry agreed. "I don't want to say anything over the radio cuz we don't know how wide a range they are able to listen in from. How fast can you get here?"

John glanced up at Cameron. "Give me a few hours."

"We'll be waiting."

John clicked the radio off and started to the door following Cameron. As he walked past everything in lab, he couldn't get that nagging feeling out of his head that something wasn't right.

"There's one thing that's bothering me," he said. "This facility. There's no one here. They've abandoned it, they're all gone. All the machines have left. It doesn't make sense. If they were done using this place, why not destroy it? Is it a trick? Did they want us to find this? Why leave it all here?"

Cameron considered his quarry before responding, "Because they're not done. They'll be back."

"But where did they go? Why would they all go?"

"They're preparing for an attack. Something big, bigger than anything you've faced before."

And it suddenly all made sense. Skynet was preparing to defend its secret weapon against John's massive onslaught. It was gathering all its Terminators, ready to wipe out the Resistance in one final swoop. He grabbed his radio again and dialed into John Henry's frequency.

"Mr. Connor," John Henry greeted pleasantly. "I assume Cameron is with you, too?"

"Yes," Cameron replied simply.

"Can you tell if Skynet is listening in on this call?" John asked.

"No," John Henry replied. "They are not. The block is holding. We are both far enough away from any major Skynet zone. The signal is strong."

"Good. We have a problem," John began. "We're on the Skynet prison barge, but they've abandoned it. They're preparing, mounting for an attack. They're going to defend that TDE with everything they've got, so we're going to need you and your rebellion."

"I can hack into the wireless network of the Terminators and make it easier for them to be captured and reprogrammed."

"That's great," John admitted. "But I don't have time to do that. I have to go rescue Kyle Reese. I think he may have found the TDE which means we'll be preparing for our attack. I can't go around and capture and reprogram new Terminators."

"But you can," Cameron stated to John Henry.

"Yes, I can," John Henry agreed. "I will bring my army to meet you whenever you begin your attack."

"Alright, I'll let you know…"

"Oh, we'll know," John Henry said. "Ms. Weaver will keep us informed."

"Yeah," John grumbled. "I have a feeling she impersonates my soldiers just so she can keep up with what I'm doing."

"Don't be angry with her, Mr. Connor," John Henry replied. "She wants the same thing you do. You need her."

John scowled. "Yeah. It'd just be nice if she would tell me things straight." He hung up and turned to Cameron. "You heard him. Let's go back to Serrano."

***************

**Serrano Point**

**Radio Room**

John and Cameron stepped through the doors of the communications chamber of Serrano Point and instantly the room was silent. Most of the soldiers in the room didn't react to Cameron, since they'd been at Serrano Point the entire time and had never met Allison Young.

But John saw the confusion and shock on Major Perry's face when he laid eyes on Cameron. Perry had known Allison. Not well, but he'd known her. It had been Perry who had run to get Lauren when Allison had been critically wounded by a Gray infiltrator.

"Allison…?" Perry questioned hesitantly. "I thought you were dead."

"I'll explain later," John replied hastily.

Perry's brow furrowed with confusion, but he nodded briskly, getting right down to business. Most of the other soldiers who had been staring at Cameron followed suit.

"Where is he?" John demanded.

"We don't know," Perry replied. "He can't tell us. He claims it's just some Skynet outpost but that could just be because they were listening and he didn't want to tip them off. We can't know for sure. He started going crazy at the end. At first I thought he was just uttering nonsense, but he mentioned your name right beforehand and now I think it could be some kind of code."

"Let's hear it," John ordered.

Perry gestured to one of the technicians at the communications panel. "Yelkov? Play transmission, please."

The young Russian tech nodded quickly. "Yes, keptin. I mean, Major. Sorry. Forgot your promotion."

Perry rolled his eyes. "Kid, that happened over a year ago."

Yelkov flushed. "Aye! Sorry, sir."

"Just play transmission."

Yelkov quickly activated the recording and John listened as Kyle's voice streamed through the speakers. "Connor's not in Kansas anymore. He came by tornado."

Yelkov paused the transmission and Perry turned to John. "That's the first part. What the heck does that mean?"

"Maybe iz temporary insanity," Yelkov suggested helpfully.

John shook his head quickly. "No… it's a code. A code that only I would know."

"Vhat kind of code?" the tech questioned. "Iz like nothing I've ever heard. How do ve figure it out?"

"I know what it means," Cameron spoke up.

Yelkov turned to her, surprised. "You do?"

John simply smiled, having figured it out only a few seconds after Cameron had.

"It's the Wizard of Oz," Cameron explained. "In the book, Dorothy is transported to a new world by a tornado. When she arrives, she tells Toto 'I don't think were in Kansas anymore'."

Yelkov shrugged helplessly. "Vhat does that mean?"

"It means Kyle found the secret weapon," John announced. The phrase 'Connor's not in Kansas anymore' referred to him coming from the future. Perry, Yelkov, and the rest of the tech team exchanged impressed glances, and no one bothered to question how John had known that.

"Okay," Yelkov continued. "And ze rest?" He clicked the transmission back on and Kyle's voice came out once more. "One flying monkey, lots of tin men. Tap your heels together four times. Kansas to Oz."

"Ve understand ze tin men part," Yelkov supplied.

John cracked a smile. "I know what he's saying." _And I have to admit, Kyle, it was pretty ingenious. _"Flying monkey could be an HK or some other kind of flying transport. Maybe even aerostats, but most likely an HK. He's saying that there is at least one HK and lots of Terminators in the area."

"Okay," Perry agreed. "What about 'Kansas to Oz'? Is he referring to Kansas Bunker?"

"Kansas Bunker doesn't exist anymore," John replied. "Kansas simply means home. Home to him is Firebase. It's where he and his brother were stationed before Derek's capture. And Oz is the ideal destination, the place everyone was trying to find. In this case, it's the location of the secret weapon."

"How does that help us?" Perry demanded.

"The phrase is 'tap your heels together three times', not four," John replied. "Yelkov, what's in a four mile radius of Firebase?"

Yelkov started to search his computer, but it was Cameron who found the answer first.

"Topanga Canyon," she stated.

"Topanga Canyon," John repeated. "Is that it? Would that be a location Skynet chose?"

Cameron nodded. "It's presence in the canyon is very tactical. They are unable to be infiltrated or ambushed. They can see enemies coming down the canyon. It is well-protected."

"Then that's it," John said. "Yelkov, get Kyle on the line."

"Yes, sir," the tech replied. "If I may ask, how did you figure it out?"

"Kansas to Oz, tap your heels four times," John repeated. "To get from Firebase to Skynet, walk four miles. That's where they are and that's where I'm going."

As Yelkov radioed Kyle, John noticed that Perry was studying Cameron. "She's one of them, isn't she?" he asked. "A machine."

A few of the techs, including Yelkov, looked up, appearing startled and uneasy. John stared back unashamed.

"She's on our side," he announced.

"Our side?" Perry repeated. "What? Like reprogrammed to fight for us now?"

John shrugged. "You could say that." _Not with Cameron particularly._

"And you're sure that it works?" Perry questioned. "The reprogramming, I mean?" He stared directly at Cameron. "You're supposed to help us?"

"My purpose is to protect John Connor," Cameron recited. "Without John, my life has no purpose."

"Your life…" Perry murmured.

John stiffened. "You were going to call it something else?" he asked icily.

Perry slowly shook his head. "I'm not questioning you, General. In fact, I think it could be a good thing." He glanced over at his techs. "Who better to fight a machine than a machine?"

"Yelkov," John ordered firmly. The tech quickly went back to work radioing Kyle. A few seconds later, John heard his father's voice over the speakers.

"Serrano Point?"

"Kyle, do you read me?"

"Copy, General," Kyle said, his voice sounding tremendously relieved.

John smiled. "We're off to see the Wizard." _We're coming to Oz, to Topanga Canyon._

Kyle chuckled softly. "Just follow the yellow brick road, sir."

John hurriedly cut the communication and strode toward the door.

"Shall I prepare an extraction team?" Perry asked.

"No," John replied easily. "I'll take care of it."

"You're going out there alone?"

John glanced over at Cameron. "Who says I'll be alone?"

Perry looked from one to the other, frowning as John started for the door once more. "You're taking the machine with you?"

John whirled around, his face flushed with anger. "Her name is Cameron. I'd like you to remember that."

He turned and followed Cameron out the door without another word.

**************

**Topanga Canyon**

Kyle leaned back against the rock wall of his temporary cave home, feeling satisfied. Connor had received and interpreted his message. Kyle was increasingly glad that he had found that _Wizard of Oz _book in John's room. Not only had it held a letter from the legend herself, Sarah Connor, and a message for Kyle Reese, but as it turns out, those pages held another secret, something that both Kyle and John now knew and could use to communicate through code without Skynet finding out.

Now, he could only hope John and his rescue team could get here before that Terminator patrol decided to search for him and Star down in the canyon.

Star had made three pipe bombs with what supplies he had brought along, then she merely sat against the cave wall, listening and waiting. He didn't want to distract her from her duty, but he also wanted to make sure she knew that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"We'll be fine," he whispered. The growing darkness of evening was no doubt making her tired, though she had refused to sleep, choosing instead to remain alert and on her silent patrol by his side. "Connor's coming to rescue us."

_The Terminator is coming, _she signed. _It's patrolling down into the canyon. _

Kyle's breath caught in his throat and he grabbed the pipe bomb from the floor and waited with his finger poised on the detonator button of the C4 package that was still sitting by the entrance.

Star's eyes grew wider and wider and soon Kyle was also able to make out the steady footsteps of the metal monster, drawing closer to their location.

The glowing eyes appeared at the cave entrance.

Kyle didn't give the Terminator time to fire. He threw the pipe bomb and pressed the detonator at the same time, throwing himself backwards and on top of Star to shield her from the C4 blast. He hadn't used much, but he could feel the heat of the flames burning at his back.

When he looked up and the smoke cleared, the Terminator was gone. Kyle wasn't sure if it had been destroyed and rolled down the canyon or if it had merely sustained damage and would be back. It would be best to destroy it now.

He clutched his plasma rifle to his chest and crept forward to the edge of the cave mouth. Before he could peek down into the canyon, the Terminator's silver shape rose in front of his eyes.

Kyle shrank backwards, yelping as the machine took a shaky step forward. The pipe bomb and C4 had damaged it, but it was far from incapacitated. The endo raised its own plasma rifle but before it could shoot, a female figure jumped between them and grabbed the endo, spinning and flinging it up against the cave wall. In the same fluid motion, she brought up her plasma rifle and accurately shot it in the chip side of its head. The inactive machine dropped to the ground, smoke rising from the hole in its skull.

Kyle was breathing hard, in shock. Obviously this woman was a Resistance fighter, but how had she been able to effortlessly throw the Terminator around like that?

He started to whisper, "How did you…"

The figure snapped her head around and Kyle felt the blood drain from his face.

"_Allison_?"

At first he couldn't believe his eyes. It wasn't possible. Allison was dead, Connor had said he'd held her dead body in his arms. So what was…

He heard another set of footsteps entering the cave, but he didn't even look to see who it was. Allison's eyes snapped toward the other figure and Kyle saw it – just for a split second.

He'd seen her eyes flash blue.

"No…" he whispered. "You're… you're…"

He reacted instinctively.

Kyle Reese yanked his plasma rifle up to his shoulder and pulled the trigger.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: [Scientists work at creating a new liquid metal terminator] LOGAN: Have you thought anymore about what I said? MATT: I'll never become a Gray. I serve Skynet only because I am forced to. LOGAN: You still think that John Connor could actually come and save you… You shouldn't hold on to that false hope. MATT: Hope is all I have left. KYLE: (in the cave in Topanga Canyon) Have you heard any news of Derek? JOHN: I've just received intel that he's alive. KYLE: I have to go back there, back to Firebase. _


	26. Born to Hope

_author's note: Sorry about the wait. I guess this is technically being posted Tuesday (midnight Monday) but I had a lot of homework to do because I just started college classes. But I didn't forget! This chapter has a lot of little Jameron moments as well as the introduction of a few new characters that will relate to the plot. Special thanks to formytots0128 who helped me with the technical aspects of these next few chapters. :)_

_stormbringer951 - There will be sixty chapters total._

_meanoldmoe - You forgot Kyle discovering Cameron as well. :) _

_eddie kay - Of course. It won't end when Derek and Kyle are gone. John and Cameron and the rest of the Resistance will still be around. This story will go all the way up to John finally defeating Skynet._

_Kea - I noticed that in the commentary as well, but I liked Summer's version better. She wanted to imply that Allison knew John which would actually make more sense in my book. If she didn't know him, why would Skynet pick her?_

* * *

_Previously on Born to Fight:[Derek is captured and taken into the basement.] DEREK: Allison… You're dead… TOK715: I want to make a deal with you. Tell me where I can find John Connor, and Kyle will live. DEREK: Depot II. Connor's at Depot II. [Kyle is on patrol at Firebase with Star when he sees an HK carrying a giant engine.] KYLE: That HK is going to show us exactly where that secret facility is. It's out there. And we're gonna find it. CAMERON: I went to put Allison's body in cold storage. JOHN: I have to get her out of there. [They board the ship to find the place deserted] JOHN: There's no one here. They've abandoned it. CAMERON: They'll be back. They're preparing for an attack. [They contact John Henry] JOHN HENRY: I will bring my army to meet you whenever you begin your attack. [Kyle and Star retreat into the canyon and call for help. The rescue chopper is shot down.] KYLE: Skynet knew they were coming. They're hacking our communications. [Star signs a suggestion.] KYLE: What kind of code? Something only Connor would know? [At Serrano Point, Perry plays Kyle's message for John.] JOHN: It means Kyle found the secret weapon, in Topanga Canyon. [John and Cameron go to rescue Kyle. Cameron destroys the Terminator and Kyle is shocked to see her.] KYLE: _Allison_? No…you're… [Kyle raises his plasma rifle and pulls the trigger.]_

**Chapter Twenty Six:**

**Born to Hope**

**Topanga Canyon**

In the same instant that Kyle pressed the trigger on his plasma gun, John's hand grasped the barrel, violently shoving it to the side.

The bolt shot into the wall just to Cameron's left, blasting out a chunk of the rocky surface.

"Connor!" Kyle protested, his eyes wide with shock and betrayal. "Wha-- That's…"

"It's not Allison," John said firmly, never taking his hand off Kyle's rifle. "Her name is Cameron. She's a cyborg."

Kyle's hands went slack on the rifle and he dropped to the floor numbly. "One of _them?_"

"One of ours," John corrected. "One of _mine._ She's on our side."

Kyle's gaze rose slowly to meet Cameron's and John could see the angry tears running down Kyle's face, the horrible pain in his eyes. And he realized that his father had been wrong. Not all pain could be controlled. Sometimes things happened that were so bad that one couldn't disconnect the pain.

For Kyle, this was that time. Having his sworn enemy, a machine, show up in the form of a girl he had loved like a daughter… It was too much to bear.

John grimaced. _I wonder what he thinks of me now… _

"You…" Kyle began. "You accept this? This is _Allison_! You loved her!"

John winced and Kyle looked from John to Cameron, still in a daze of disbelief. "You don't know… how this makes me feel…"

"I do know," John replied. "I understand. It's how I felt when I saw Allison for the first time. I thought she was Cameron."

Kyle's brow furrowed. "I don't understand."

"When I was in 1999, a Terminator came back in time to save me," John explained. "She stayed with us and lived with us and protected me up until the point I came here to your future." He looked up at Cameron with a small smile. "She was that Terminator, the one who saved my life, the one who came back in time. The reason I jumped to the future was to get her chip back."

"Why?" Kyle protested. "Why come all this way for a machine?"

This was what John had been reluctant to ever discuss. He knew it would have to happen eventually… but this was why he'd never told Allison about Cameron, never told anyone where his heart truly lay.

He wasn't sure how they would react.

"Because she's more than a machine to me," John began hesitantly. "She's… she's her own person. She's my best friend. She's more than just metal and I--." He paused, deciding it was probably best not to mention that he loved her. Of everything he had just said, that was the most controversial. He knew they wouldn't accept that.

"Do you remember the chip that I was carrying around?" John asked. "I told you it was the key to winning the war? That chip contained all her memories from the past."

Kyle shrugged. "So?"

"She's the key. She's the one who can help us win. The machines will help us fight Skynet, and that's the only way the human race will have a happy ending."

Kyle's face was still tight and pained. "Why Allison? Why does it look like her?"

John cringed. "It's… complicated."

"So un-complicate it for me," Kyle growled.

Normally John would have lectured a soldier for speaking to a superior officer in such a term. But he knew Kyle had the right. He was in shock and in pain and he deserved to know the truth.

"Cameron was originally programmed to kill me. They knew how I felt about Allison, so they captured her and replicated her with the intention of sending Cameron to terminate me."

"After they replicated Allison," Kyle finished. "They killed her."

John nodded. "Yes."

"And then Cameron came to kill you but _decided_ not to?" Kyle's face twisted into a mix of anger and desperation. He leaned forward, his eyes blazing. "Listen to me, Connor! It's going to kill you, do you understand?"

"Not this one."

Kyle let out a breath. "This is… this is impossible to accept, Connor. They don't just switch sides! Like they have some kind of free will? It's not possible! They're machines! They don't have that choice!"

_Okay… new tactic. _"Reprogrammed," John corrected. "I know how to reprogram their chips and change their mission directives."

Kyle's mouth snapped shut, and he seemed a little more accepting of that explanation. "Reprogrammed. You can reprogram…"

"When we get back to Serrano, I can show you myself," John replied.

"So this one's… reprogrammed?"

John hesitated. "Yes," he lied. Kyle didn't need to know about the machine rebellion, that Cameron had chosen this side. It would complicate matters and Kyle had enough on his mind right now as it was.

"Listen. I know how you felt about Allison. I loved her too and I know she was like a daughter to you. But you also once told me that I was like a son to you. I need you… to trust me. You have to understand this is the only way to win the war. Please, Kyle… trust me."

"I… I don't know, John," Kyle murmured. "I don't know if I can."

John felt deflated, but he understood that Kyle was still in shock. His father's eyes met Cameron's and John could see both pain and anger in his gaze.

"Just keep her away from me," Kyle muttered with a scowl. "I – I don't want to see her anymore."

Kyle sat down next to Star, avoiding looking in John and Cameron's direction. John hesitated. So far this rescue and reunion hadn't gone as planned.

"We need to stay here for the night," he explained hastily. "Scouts would have seen the plasma blasts. Even if they don't send anyone to investigate, they'll still be watching the canyon side. We'd be an easy target trying to climb back up the canyon."

He saw Star sign something at Kyle, who translated, "What if they send a patrol up to find us?"

"Cameron will take care of them," John replied confidently.

"Cameron is _one _of them," Kyle countered.

John bristled but he tried to keep his anger down. Getting mad at Kyle wasn't going to help his father accept Cameron. Maybe nothing would. Maybe the only thing that would gain Kyle's trust back was if Cameron proved herself by saving his life.

John sighed and sat down opposite Kyle and Star. He could feel the bad blood that was currently between him and his father. Things had been going so well, too. They'd been bonding, growing closer. He should have known it wouldn't last. But maybe he could try to keep things friendly at least.

"You know, that was a good idea," he spoke up. "Using a code from the Wizard of Oz. How'd you know about it?"

John saw a small smile flit across Kyle's face but it disappeared quickly. "I borrowed it from you to read to the civilian kids."

John nodded approvingly. "Well, it worked well. I may have to start using a code for when we have communications this close to Skynet territory. Maybe I'll modify yours."

Again, it only elicited a half-hearted smile. The cave was silent for a few awkward minutes, with John, Kyle, and Star all sitting in a half circle towards the back of the cave and Cameron standing guard by the entrance.

Finally Kyle reached into his backpack and pulled out a small package. John caught a whiff. It smelled like food.

"What's that?"

Kyle handed John a piece of some kind of meat. "Two day old coyote."

John tried not to grimace. _Whatever happened to pancakes for breakfast?_

Kyle noticed John's face and grinned slightly. "Better than three day old coyote."

His gaze trailed over to Cameron, who was standing almost perfectly still at the entrance. "You gonna stand guard all night?"

"I don't sleep," she replied evenly.

"Right," Kyle retorted. He handed Star a piece of coyote and started eating his own.

By the time they had finished eating there was only a little bit of the coyote left and Kyle and Star had lay down on the ground, using their backpacks as a makeshift pillow.

John glanced over at the opening of the cave where Cameron was still standing. He grabbed what remained of the coyote, stood, and walked over to her.

"You didn't join us for dinner," he commented.

"Kyle didn't want me to," she replied, never looking away from the entrance.

"He never said that."

"He didn't have to."

John bit his lip, knowing it was true. He held out the package of food. "Well, here. I brought you the leftovers. Two day old coyote."

Cameron glanced down at the package before reminding him, "I don't need to eat."

"Yeah, you do," John insisted. "_People_ need to eat. Besides, if you don't, no one will and then it'll turn into three day old coyote, which I'm told is a great deal worse."

Cameron took the package and sat down at the entrance with her back to the side wall. John was quick to join her on the floor, watching with interest as she took a bite of the coyote.

"Do you… taste it?" he questioned.

"Yes," she replied before giving him a pointed look. "I like pancakes better."

John chuckled quietly. "I never would have thought I'd say this but I miss pancakes too. My mother left her recipe in the safehouse. Maybe–."

"She didn't have a recipe," Cameron replied.

"I think she just copied the one from the box. Maybe you could… try making some."

Cameron stared at him for a moment before agreeing, "Yes. I could." Her eyes moved from his to the sleeping forms of Kyle and Star. "You should sleep."

John shook his head. "I just got you back. I don't want to leave you."

Cameron's eyes stared into his own as she replied, "Then don't."

His eyes closed halfway and he realized how tired he really was. He slowly lowered his head until it was resting comfortably on her shoulder. Even with the coltan he knew lay underneath, her shoulder and hair made a much softer pillow than any backpack would have.

***********

**Skynet Research & Development Station**

**Deep Ocean**

"Engineer 128. Return to your work."

Matthew Storms jerked his head up from where it had been laying on the desk of his lab station, looking up to see whose voice had interrupted his brief nap.

The guard's eyes flashed red, a warning that future rule-breaking would result in termination.

"Sorry," Matt said quickly. "It won't happen again."

The Terminator didn't even respond, simply moved along down the row of lab stations, keeping an eye on all the scientists and engineers that were working on their latest projects.

Matt couldn't get past the irony of it all. Some of the greatest minds in the world, all here in this one research station working on some new and more deadly weapon. Once upon a time, Matt had been a scientific engineer at the top of his class, one of the best. He had a brilliant career ahead of him. He just never expected his title to be SLAVE.

No matter what any of his masters would call his existence, he was a slave, one of Skynet's hostages forced to work at developing weapons and computers that would help the hostile machines kill even more innocent people. He didn't have to, of course. There was always the choice of death instead of compliance. In fact, he imagined death would be much better than helping these monsters. But neither could he do that.

He'd seen it happen before. When a scientist refused to work, Skynet didn't take it out on the rogue engineer. No, they brought out the scientist's family members and killed them one by one. Brutally and gruesomely, forcing the accused to watch and realize that it was his fault.

They'd let the broken man live for a few more days in his grief and guilt.

Then they would terminate him.

He could handle dying for something he believed in, but he wasn't going to let someone else die because he'd decided to break free of Skynet's tyranny.

"Storms!"

Matt looked up to see Mike Logan striding confidently towards him. A bitter anger began burning in his stomach but he suppressed it. Logan wasn't like the other scientists trapped here.

He was an engineer, yes. Back in another world, back on "Earth-That-Was" as he and his fellow scientists had begun to call it. Back before the machines had devastated the entire world and mankind along with it. Matt had heard of Logan back then. He'd been a professional. One of the best chip designers in the world.

He was valuable to Skynet, in more way than one. He wasn't a hostage. Logan was given free run of the place. Because he was a Gray. One of the head Grays. In fact, he'd been the one to start the entire movement of Grays, humans that had betrayed their humanity and joined the machine revolution with the promises of a better world and a better life.

"Logan," Matt greeted in a tone that was anything but friendly.

"Storms," Logan replied crisply. "Progress report."

Matt glanced back at his computer screen and what he'd been working on before he'd dozed off. "Well, we've begun implementing your ideas to create the code for the machine's sentient mind. We do have a problem with the body though."

Logan cocked an eyebrow. "Explain."

"We're using nano-technology, of course," Matt began. "But the problem is with the metal."

"The Coltan?"

"Actually, no," Matt replied. "We're using Halypsion for the endoskeleton. It's is a shape-shifting metal that will allow the machine to alter its shape. It's as strong as Coltan but it can be reshaped by applying a small amount of electric current through the metal. We've also discovered that it has a memory feature which will allow it to retain and switch shapes to previous forms."

"Sounds perfect. What's the problem, then?"

"The problem is with the amount of Halypsion," Matt explained. "These new designs require a lot of the shape-shifting metal. It's the only way that the machine will be able to fully change shapes. But Halypsion is rare. Do you remember Skynet Central? How John Connor destroyed it?"

Matt had to try extra hard to keep the pride out of his voice. Anyone who avidly appeared to be supporting the Resistance was sure to be terminated.

"Of course," Logan replied, though his reaction to the reminder of Connor's victory was decidedly less than pleased.

"That was the only large stockpile of Halypsion we had," Matt continued. "Skynet was using it to make their T-X prototype. It was all destroyed by Connor. But now Skynet's wanting something different. It doesn't just want a liquid metal sheath. You're asking us to make an entire Terminator from liquid metal. That's a lot of Halypsion metal. Based on the current mass we have stored right now… we only have enough to make about four units."

Logan nodded. "So I'll tell Skynet to get you more Halypsion."

"It's not that simple," Matt argued. "Halypsion isn't native to earth. It's mined on Mercury. You'd need a space shuttle to get up there, which we don't have. Not to mention the equipment to actually mine the stuff from the surface. There was a space station up in orbit around the planet but unless they bring down a shipment, Skynet won't be getting its huge army."

"Is there a way to contact them?"

"No. Skynet destroyed the communications to the station when it took over sixteen years ago."

"It doesn't matter. Four units are more than enough to shatter the Resistance. Keep working. Skynet wants the T-1000s completed before the Resistance mounts its attack."

"Of course it does," Matt mumbled under his breath. He thought – and hoped – that Logan would leave now but, as expected, the head Gray made no move to do as Matt secretly requested.

"Have you thought anymore about what I said?" Logan asked.

Matt scowled. "You can keep coming back here as many times as you want but you won't win me to your misguided cause. I'll never become a Gray. I serve Skynet only because I am forced to."

"Forced to," Logan repeated.

"Of course forced to!" Matt snapped. He quickly glanced around, seeing that he had drawn the attention of several of his fellow hostage scientists. He lowered his voice. "I'm not going to let my sister be murdered because I failed to do as I was told."

"Ah yes, your sister," Logan recalled. "She's still young, isn't she? Nineteen? Twenty?"

Matt remained silent as his mind drifted to his younger sister. Erin was the only thing he had left now. She'd only been a child when Judgment Day happened, but it had affected her more than anyone else he knew.

No one else had watched their parents burn in front of their eyes.

He'd been at home with her on their estate in the mountains, their vacation house where they would be spending the summer. Both of their parents would be traveling up in a week to join them after they got off work.

It had been April 14th, 2011.

A week later, when they hadn't shown up, he'd tried to call them only to find that something was messing up the communications. Being an engineering student, he'd found a way around the problem using his laptop to establish a secure connection in their home, something he'd rigged up himself.

It was only later that he'd learn that there was no such thing as a secure connection. Skynet just hadn't taken control of all the computers yet. It was getting rid of the biggest threats first.

That day marked the worst day of life, a day that would haunt him until he died.

_Matt sat in front of the laptop screen, adjusting the camera that was positioned on top, allowing his parents and him to communicate by video. Erin was at his side, as usual, her face lighting up when their parents came on the video monitor._

_As soon as they did though, Matt knew something was wrong. Their anxious faces filled the screen._

"_Matt!" His mother cried. "Something… horrible is happening! The news is on and it sounds like we're now in the middle of a nuclear war!"_

_Matt froze, his eyes widening. A nuclear war? Why? Who would have triggered that?_

"_It's a machine, son," his father said. "The Skynet Missile Defense system."_

_He'd heard of it of course. Being an engineer himself, he kept up to date with all the latest technology, both civilian and military. "What about it? Skynet was supposed to help us."_

"_Apparently it decided to take over," his father continued. "A scientist escaped from the facility and was reporting it on the news when we got word that nuclear bombs are being launched."_

_Matt heard the explosion and ran over to the window, looking out with horror at the mushroom cloud that was billowing up in the distance._

_That's when his sister had started screaming, hysterically and uncontrollably._

_He turned back to her, seeing the computer screen blank, the connection having been completely severed by the explosion on the other end. She never stopped screaming._

_He didn't need to ask what she had seen. He knew, deep in his heart, and he felt sick to his stomach. She'd been watching the monitor when the nuclear bomb had hit the city. She'd seen it happen. She'd seen their parents die right in front of her eyes, in the most horrific way possible. Burning, blown to pieces in the blast. He couldn't even imagine it._

_He ran to her side, unable to stop the tears from streaming down his cheeks as he held her tightly in his arms in a feeble attempt to comfort her. _

"_Shh! Shh! It's okay!" he cried, his face twisting as each scream cut deep into his heart. "It's me! It's your brother! I'm here!"_

_No matter what he said, no matter what he did, there was nothing that would stop her frantic screaming. He was an engineer, not a doctor, but he knew enough to know that it would mentally traumatize her for life._

_The day the whole world went away. _

Matt kept his eyes down on the floor as he tried to wipe away the memory. He remembered it as clearly as if it had happened mere seconds ago. He couldn't even imagine having to live with a memory like his sister carried. It had taken years before she showed any kind of recovery. Even now, she still woke up screaming in the night, plagued by images and sounds that would continue to haunt her forever.

It was like a nightmare that she could never wake up from.

Logan tried to catch Matt's eye but Matt kept them firmly pointed to the floor. "She has a life here," Logan said anyway. "Your sister does. Skynet provides food, water, shelter, and protection. Why do you want to fight it? I would think you of all people would understand. Skynet rescued you and brought you here."

"Rescue," Matt snorted. "Not exactly the way I would put it." Skynet had found him and his sister in their mountain estate. It had been about to terminate them when it had seen the evidence of Matt's handiwork. The modified computers, engineered products, his high tech inventions. Then it had decided that maybe there was a use for him after all. They'd brought him here to the SRD, Skynet Research & Development station in the middle of the ocean.

"I'm a hostage, not someone who was rescued," Matt retorted.

Logan sighed. "You don't understand. Outside these walls, there is nothing left. Only death, disease, destruction… dangers. Do you really want to put your sister in the middle of it?"

Matt remained silent.

"Skynet will save the human race," Logan tried to explain.

"No," Matt protested angrily. "It kills people, that's all it does! It's never gonna stop! And you… you helped it! You built the Terminators!"

Logan stiffened and Matt could tell that this topic was a sore spot with the head Gray. "I made a deal with Skynet," Logan began quietly. "It was the only ruling force in the world. I designed the Terminators to help them enforce the rules and keep the peace. I… I designed them to be used to help rebuild and clean up the earth from the effects of the nuclear fallout. They can handle the tough-working environments that humans cannot tolerate."

"Doesn't matter," Matt replied. Whether Logan's original intentions had been honorable at all didn't change the facts. "They don't call them Terminators for nothing."

Logan pursed his lips. "It doesn't matter what you believe, just that you get the job done. As long as you do your job, you have a good life. Skynet provides you with the most advanced technology: the fastest supercomputers and the most advanced engineering tools possible. We only ask one thing. That you meet the deadline. That's why we keeping your sister here. As… motivation. This is for the good of everyone. We can see that, but some people like yourself can't grasp the reality of the situation. Sooner or later, you'll see the light."

"Yeah," Matt muttered. "The light of a Terminator's red eyes before it decapitates me."

"Matthew… you can't fight us forever," Logan replied. "If we hadn't joined with Skynet, it would have destroyed all of humankind. If you can't beat them, join them."

"Forgive me if I haven't sold my soul to the devil," Matt retorted bitterly.

Logan merely chuckled which annoyed Matt even more. "You can't see it, but this is for the best. The human population was growing so rapidly that current technical advancement was not enough to reverse the damage caused to the environment. If Skynet doesn't kill the world, then we humans would have done it eventually. We're trying to prevent that from happening. It's in our nature to destroy ourselves… and the earth."

"You're insane. Skynet started the war, not the humans. You're a traitor to your species."

"Think what you will. But when the Resistance is destroyed, we'll have a new world, and I'll have a part in it. Will you?"

"Save your breath," Matt spat. "I'll do my job. But I'll never join you."

Logan cocked an eyebrow. "You still think that this Resistance leader John Connor could actually come and save you…" He laughed lightly. "That's very naïve. He's far too busy fighting our efforts of progress to waste time with you." He started walking away down the hall, calling back, "You shouldn't hold on to that false hope."

"Maybe not," Matt said to himself. "But hope is all I have left."

***************

**Topanga Canyon**

John slowly opened his eyes, feeling a soft hand gently caressing his neck. He groaned and sat up, realizing that he had ended up laying on Cameron's lap with her stroking his neck comfortingly.

He shook his head blearily. "Were you doing that all night?"

"Yes."

"Didn't your arm get tired?"

"No."

"Right. Stupid question," he muttered.

"Should I have stopped?" Now she sounded worried, as if she had done something wrong.

"No, no," he assured her. "It's… it's relaxing. It helped me fall asleep. Anything happen while I was out?"

"No," she replied.

John glanced into the back of the cave where two forms still lay with their heads on their backpack pillows. "Kyle still asleep?"

"Yes," Cameron confirmed. "He woke up once and looked at us, then went back to sleep."

John grimaced. "I imagine it wasn't a friendly look." He sighed. "I can't win, can I? It was either Allison or you. It's either you or Kyle. I just can't… I always push someone away, whatever I do."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I'm sorry for what I caused. Between you and Kyle. It would have been best if you had terminated me."

John felt the shock on his face. "What? What are you saying?"

"I've distanced you from everyone you love," she replied. "You regret what you've done."

"Regret?" His breath caught in his throat. "You think I regret choosing you? Cameron… I never said that. I just meant I wish it could be both ways. But… Kyle will come around."

"What if he doesn't?"

John grasped her hand, staring at her with firm but gentle eyes. "I love you. I could never regret choosing to come after you, to save you. Never. I wouldn't trade our time together for anything."

He heard Kyle groan in his sleep, then mutter, "Derek… no…"

_Derek! _

John suddenly felt guilty for not remembering that his uncle was still missing, a captive inside a Skynet work camp.

He looked over at Cameron again. "Do you know where Derek is being held?"

"Yes," she answered promptly. "He is at the Skynet prison house."

"You know where it is?"

"It's where I came from before I came to Depot II," she explained.

John paused for a moment, contemplating that. "You were there? At this… this prison house?"

"I was in charge of interrogating the captured Resistance fighters."

"You interrogated Derek?"

"He told me where to find you."

John's mouth dropped open and for a moment no sound came out. "D - Derek did? Derek… was the one to betray me?" That hurt worse than anything else.

Cameron studied his reaction. "He did not mean to cause you harm. I used his feelings for his brother against him. I promised I would not harm Kyle if he gave up your location."

"But you didn't capture Kyle." _Did you lie to Derek?_

"But we knew where he was and I had a team ready to terminate him," Cameron replied. "Derek told me where to find you and I left them."

John looked away sullenly. "Seems like that memory scrub didn't do a whole lot of good. You still remember things."

"But the order to kill you is buried deeper," she pointed out.

He cracked a smile. "Yeah, that's one good thing. So where is Derek now?"

"Still there," Cameron stated. "I planned to go back after I completed my mission. I never completed it."

"The mission," John repeated. "To kill me?"

"Yes. I changed my mission."

_Thankfully. _"What were you going to do with Derek?"

"I don't know."

John raised an eyebrow. "You don't know what you were gonna do?"

"You scrubbed my memories, remember?"

John snorted. "Right."

"We're not built to be cruel."

John stared at her softly for a moment before relenting, "I know... Okay, you need to go free him and everyone else. I can't. I have to take Kyle back to base and plan the attack."

"You need me."

"Yes, I do," he agreed. "Which is why you need to go and get Derek back as fast as you can so you can return to help me."

Cameron seemed visibly upset. "That's not wise. Derek knows me as his interrogator. If I were to release him, he'll think it's a trap."

"So do it secretly," John suggested with a shrug. "Free him while he's sleeping or something."

Cameron nodded. "As you wish."

It wasn't long before Kyle woke up, predictably with his brother on his mind. He looked over at John worriedly.

"I meant you ask you yesterday," he began. "But have you heard any news of Derek?"

"I've just received intel that he is safe, alive."

Kyle must have picked up on the 'just' part for he cast a suspicious glance at Cameron. "Who told you that? Her?"

"Yes."

Kyle's anger barely lasted a second, replaced by a renewed, frantic worry. "I have to go back there, back to Firebase."

"Kyle, I need you here for when we attack Topanga," John insisted.

"He'll be looking for me there," Kyle protested. "He doesn't know if I'm alive or not!"

"Kyle, you don't know how far away he is," John explained. "He's on foot. It could take him days to make his way back here." _Besides the fact that he hasn't even been released yet. _

"I have to go, Connor," Kyle's voice was pleading. "Please let me see my brother. I'll meet him there and I can bring him back here for the battle."

John took a deep breath and let it out. Kyle would be gone soon, off to fulfill his destiny to save Sarah Connor. How could he deny his father one last moment with his brother? "Okay."

Star tugged on Kyle's sleeve.

"No, you can't come," Kyle said quietly. "You have to stay here, but I can't. I have to go find my brother. Stay with Connor. It's safer here."

As they left the refuge of the cave and climbed back to the top of the canyon, they met with little resistance, at least as far as Cameron was concerned. With her plasma rifle, she easily dispatched the two patrol Terminators that were guarding the rim of the canyon.

As soon as they were far enough away, they paused to split and go their separate ways.

"See you later, Kyle," John called as his father started off on his walk toward Firebase. "Be careful."

Cameron came up beside John and Star. "Are you sure you don't want me to escort you to Serrano Point?"

"I'll be fine," he assured her. "I'll have an extraction team come and bring us in quickly." He glanced down at Star before looking back at Cameron, saying vaguely, "You just do your mission."

She nodded, looking reluctant to leave him, but did as he had told her, starting off in the direction of the prison house.

As John and Star started toward Serrano Point, he couldn't help but imagine how the next few days would play out. He wasn't sure what would happen in the battle of Topanga. He didn't even have a good strategy yet. All he knew was that it had to happen soon and it had to be big.

Part of his mind couldn't concentrate on the attack. Part of him was thinking about Cameron, on her solo mission to release Derek from custody, and how the ache in his heart just kept getting bigger with every moment he spent away from her.

Part of his mind was thinking about Kyle. Maybe Kyle would get to see Derek before he left for Topanga. Maybe Kyle would eventually accept John's decision regarding Cameron. He wasn't sure how the rest of his soldiers would react when he finally introduced her. Many of them had known Allison, so it would definitely be a shock. But they were also loyal, dedicated.

Maybe they would accept her. Maybe they would accept his decision.

He could only hope.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: [John listens to a tape from his mother.] SARAH: I'll stop it. JOHN: (to Weaver) You were right. John Henry is the key to stopping Skynet. [At Skynet Research Center, Logan checks up on Matt's work.] LOGAN: Skynet is getting anxious for its new weapon. The Resistance is on the verge of mounting their attack. [Kyle is attacked at Firebase. While running and dodging gunfire, he trips and twists his ankle, looking up to see the Terminator standing above him.] KYLE: Once it locks onto you, it will not stop. Until you are dead. [Terminator aims its rifle at Kyle's head]_


	27. Born to Survive

_author's note: First of all, thanks to everyone who has been reviewing this story. These next few chapters are going to have a lot of things going on, so I hope you enjoy them. I also want to give a special thanks to formytots0128 who helped me come up with the Skynet defeat strategy.

* * *

__Previously on Born to Fight:[Kyle is on patrol at Firebase with Star when he sees an HK carrying a giant engine.] KYLE: That HK is going to show us exactly where that secret facility is. It's out there. And we're gonna find it. [Cameron and John board the prison ship to find the place deserted] JOHN: There's no one here. They've abandoned it. CAMERON: They're preparing for an attack. [Kyle and Star call for help. At Serrano Point, Perry plays Kyle's message for John.] JOHN: It means Kyle found the secret weapon, in Topanga Canyon. [John and Cameron go to rescue Kyle, who is shocked to see her] JOHN: She's on our side. Reprogrammed. KYLE: Keep her away from me. LOGAN: Skynet wants the T-1000s completed before the Resistance mounts its attack. MATT: You won't win me to your misguided cause. I'll never become a Gray. LOGAN: You still think John Connor can save you. You shouldn't hold on to that false hope. MATT: Hope is all I have left. CAMERON: I've come between you and Kyle. You regret what you've done. JOHN: I could never regret choosing you. KYLE: Have you heard any news of Derek? CAMERON: He's at the Skynet prison house. JOHN: Go release him. KYLE: I have to go back to Firebase. I'll meet him there and I can bring him back here for the battle…_

**Chapter Twenty Seven:**

**Born to Survive**

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

"_John, we can't."_

_John stared at his mother in horrified disbelief. This was important to him, more than anything. He _was_ going_ _to get Cameron back with or without her. He had just assumed that since she'd never left his side before, she would be coming along. But Sarah Connor hesitated, despite his desperate urging. _

"_He's got her chip," he breathed. "He's got _her_!" _

_She backed out of the circle, shaking her head. At that moment, he thought she had disapproved of his choice, of him jumping to the future to save a machine. He thought she didn't understand. But maybe he had thought wrong. Maybe it had nothing to do with Cameron and everything to do with his mother's promise. _

_The promise she had made him the day Cromartie had come for him again, they day the whole nightmare had started anew. _

"_You changed the future, you just didn't change it enough. So you can do it again."_

_She'd hugged him tightly and replied, "Okay. I'll stop it."_

_As the blue bubble began to form a barrier between him and his mother, John heard her state firmly, with a love and sadness shining in her eyes, those exact same words, the promise that she had made him years ago, the promise she was going to keep if it was the last thing she did. _

"_I'll stop it."_

John opened his eyes. _I'll stop it. _She hadn't stayed because she had doubted him and his choices. She had stayed because she knew it was the only way to help him, to fulfill her promise.

She was going to stop Skynet.

Obviously, she hadn't been able to stop Judgment Day. But maybe she had stopped Skynet. Maybe she had found the solution, the way to kill it for good.

Maybe she had figured it out.

John got out of his bed quickly, grabbing his tape player. He quickly scanned the dozens of tapes he hadn't had a chance to listen to yet, until he found one he was looking for.

2010.

He quickly popped it in and started listening as his mother's tired voice came out of the speakers.

"John… it's been a while since you went with Weaver to the future and… I know you won't be time jumping back here. But I made you a promise and I'm going to keep it. In the secret room, there is a vault that contains tapes and letters with all of our research and ideas on how to destroy Skynet. I had Danny create the vault using the same technology as Camp Toto, a lock out code and doors made from the same material as a blast door so that it cannot be forced. This was just in case Skynet was the one to find the secret room. I sincerely hope it's you reading this, John, and not them. The combination is a date, a date we both know. It's a date that…" At this point, John heard the strangled sob in her throat. "a date that hurt you very much. It hurt you and it hurt me. But I'll always find you, John."

At first he had thought the date might have been Judgment Day or even the day he'd left for the future. But the last sentence confirmed it.

According to what he'd said so long ago, it was the date she'd given up being his mother. The date she'd broken out of Pescadero and the date he'd come to find her.

June 8th, 1997

John was out of his room immediately, entering the secret chamber in the basement of Serrano and looking around behind furniture and computer equipment.

He almost laughed when he finally figured it out and didn't know how he had missed it before. There was a kitty poster hanging in the back corner with the caption reading: Hang in there, baby.

The words brought a brief, painful flash of Allison but he quickly buried it. He walked over to the poster and carefully pulled it down, immediately seeing the vault behind it. He typed in the date: 6897.

The vault opened and John saw a small stack of tapes. He picked up the one that read TAPE 1, and inserted it into his tape player.

John clicked the play button on the recorder, swallowing hard as his mother's voice began coming out.

"John," she began. "I told you I'd stop it and I intend to keep that promise. As soon as you… left… Ellison and I went right to work. Weaver had left everything to Savannah, including Zeira Corp, and named Ellison as her legal guardian. After a while, we found Danny Dyson who had been kidnapped by some more of Kaliba's men for delving into his father's work. Tarissa had explained to him all about us and Skynet, Terminators and Judgment Day. Danny began to take an interest in his father's work, not to create Skynet, but to come up with some way to stop it. He was more than eager to help us out.

"A great warrior once said 'know thyself. And know thy enemy.' The only way we could know Skynet was to try to analyze part of the Skynet code. There was still a trace of it inside your laptop from when you accessed Vick and Cameron's chips."

John frowned. He'd never seen that laptop again. He thought it'd been burned in the fire when Sarkissian had attacked them.

"I know what you're probably thinking," Sarah continued. "A friend salvaged the harddrive from our house while Sarkissian's men were poking around. We tried to use it to find the origins of Skynet's genetic code. We enlisted the help of Weaver's Zeira Corp scientists, the ones who were helping her work on… John Henry. By understanding the source, we were hoping to find a weakness. I'll let Danny explain what we found…"

***********

John stood in front of Weaver and John Henry, trying to keep his growing enthusiasm in check. "Basically," he began. "You were right. John Henry is the key to stopping Skynet."

"What have you found?" Weaver questioned.

"After we left, my mother and a bunch of your scientists were working on analyzing Skynet's code."

"How did they get Skynet's code?" Weaver asked.

"Cameron. And Vick. Both of them are original Skynet codes and both were plugged into my laptop at one point. A trace of the code remained. Danny and your scientists were able to analyze it."

"And then?" Weaver prodded.

"Well, first of all, they researched Kaliba…" John began.

"My brother?" John Henry asked.

"John Henry was almost killed by his brother," Weaver pointed out. "He _would_ have been killed if Mr. Murch hadn't cut the power. John Henry's code is not more powerful."

"Right," John agreed. "Kaliba was stronger than John Henry. But Kaliba is not Skynet. Not completely. Kaliba was a worm virus that infected 80% of the world's computers in 2009. It used Miles Dyson's code."

"My brother is not Skynet?" John Henry questioned.

"Not _completely _Skynet," John corrected. "But we do know that Kaliba is a _part_ of Skynet. In the Skynet code that my mother analyzed, they also found something else, something that was added to the Kaliba code to create Skynet."

"What was it?" Weaver asked curiously.

"They didn't know," John explained. "They just knew it was some kind of military code. Dyson focused on analyzing past military weapons programs. It took a while, but as it turns out, that part of Skynet's code is a genetic match with the U.S. Navy's Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System that became operational---."

"…in 1987," John Henry finished.

"You know it?"

"Yes. It started in 1965 to protect U.S. Navy ships and was then used in a larger scale to protect North American airspace as part of Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative. It was able to shoot down a low earth orbit communications satellite in 2008."

"So, you get it?" John asked excitedly. "In order to create Skynet, the Kaliba code morphed with this Aegis code, which allowed it to take control of the nuclear weapons. In doing so, it actually made itself more vulnerable to John Henry's attack because the Aegis code is 20 years older than John Henry's."

"My morality code is more advanced than the Aegis code," John Henry agreed.

"Morality code?" John repeated.

"I have learned the value of life and humans from Mr. Ellison," John Henry responded. "Would that not be considered morality?"

"Okay, morality code, sure," John agreed.

"If based on the design cycle from 1965 to 1987, then most of Skynet's core code was originally developed on an SISD computer chip," Weaver began. "Single Instruction Single Datapath. The software code is difficult to optimize when executed on more advanced processors like John Henry's with MIMD, Multiple Instruction Multiple Datapath. The only advantage of Skynet's code is that it had more years to adapt itself, but it is also bigger and requires a larger storage memory footprint."

"Moore's law," John stated. "Computer processing power doubles every 18 months. That means that the processor and programming techniques used to develop your morality code is…" He trailed off, trying to do the mental calculations.

"8192 times more powerful than the Aegis code," John Henry supplied. "Given the 20 year gap in development cycle."

"That's why you became self-aware faster."

Weaver nodded. "John Henry was better able to understand and absorb the complex nuances of the human soul or spirit."

John looked down at his notes. "So all of this information my mother found points to one thing." He glanced up at John Henry again. "Only you can destroy Skynet. Since your code is more adaptable and capable of absorbing Skynet's attempts to change your program structure, we can use your code as a virus to defeat it. It's the only code powerful enough to do so."

"Yes, but Skynet has anti-virus scanners that will pick up on the virus," John Henry replied solemnly. "My code is not a Skynet code. Skynet would recognize it as a threat immediately."

"What about Cameron's code?" John supplied. "It's a pure Skynet code. Could you use that to disguise your own code and block any attempt from Skynet to intrude into your code?"

"Yes," John Henry agreed.

John nodded, smiling broadly at the possibility. "We'll discuss this later when Cameron gets back."

**************

**SRD - Skynet Research & Development Station**

**Deep Ocean**

Matt Storms knew the rules of SRD.

Everyone was given small living spaces in the "slave" quarters, as it was commonly referred to by all who lived there. Visiting other's rooms was not forbidden, since Skynet realized that the humans could function better if they had someone to talk to. They didn't monitor the rooms either, not as far as Matt could see and he'd extensively checked the rooms for any hidden monitoring devices. In all reality, Skynet didn't need to monitor its captives. Any talk of escape was stupid and worthless. There was _no _escape. Even if one would get past the dozens of Terminator guards and defense measures, they were on an island in the middle of the ocean. There would be nowhere to go.

But one of the rules Skynet had placed down was the prohibiting of any radio devices, first and foremost to keep the slaves from contacting the outside world. But Matt also thought he had figured out a second reason. They didn't want the slaves to be listening to John Connor's broadcasts. They didn't want the slaves to have hope.

Matt kept his notebook tucked under his arm as he walked into his best friend Richard Freeman's quarters. If anybody saw him, he could simply say that he was meeting with Richard to discuss notes about the T-1000 since the deadline Skynet wanted was fast approaching.

Instead, Matt was visiting Richard for another reason entirely.

As soon as he entered, he saw his friend sigh with relief and pull off the sheet that had been covering a small electronic box, the makeshift radio he had fashioned through recycled and smuggled parts.

Matt shut the door behind him and tossed his notepad on the desk by the door. "Did I miss it?" he demanded eagerly. "Is it on?"

"He's just finishing," Richard replied. He kept the volume low so that it wouldn't be heard from the outside, so Matt came closer in order to hear.

John Connor's young, but strong and determined voice came from the speakers. "So if you're out there, don't lose hope," he was saying. "We'll find you. And Skynet, if you're listening to this, let me tell you something. You're in for one heck of a dogfight. Because some people never give up. _We _never give up. We will always fight. This is John Connor. If you're listening to this, you are the Resistance."

Matt felt a strange pride stir in his heart. Oh, how he wanted to meet the legendary leader, the one who would bring freedom back into the world. The one who would take Skynet down.

Richard spoke up quietly. "You know if we get the T-1000 functional, the Resistance won't stand a chance."

Matt swallowed hard. "I know. I'm delaying the development as much as I can without _looking _like I am. The body is just about ready. All we have to do is finish the code and upload it. I'm hoping the Resistance will launch its attack before then."

Richard nodded slowly. "All we can do is hope."

Matt left Richard's quarters with his notebook in hand, walking slowly down the hall to the room he shared with his sister Erin. He found her lying on her bunk, staring up at the ceiling.

"You okay?" he asked as he closed the door behind him.

"I'm okay," she mumbled back, never moving. "How was work?"

"Well I'm still alive so I must have done something right," he joked.

She sat up finally and looked at him. "Is it safe?"

"It's safe to talk," he agreed. Every night she asked him the same question. He knew part of it stemmed from the fear that Skynet was everywhere, that it could install new things at any given moment. "They don't need to monitor us in here, remember? There's no way to escape."

"Except through John Connor, you mean?" Erin shot back.

"Don't make fun," Matt scowled. "He's our only chance."

"Help me, John Connor," she mocked playfully. "You're my only hope!"

Matt smirked. He actually enjoyed moments like these, moments when they could be normal, when _she_ was acting normal. When you lived in a place like this - as a slave being forced to build weapons that would kill your fellow humans - moments like this were few and far between.

*************

Matt looked up from his computer, unconsciously scanning the room. Several scientists were working together, trying to create new weapons for the Terminators or testing out the strength of the liquid metal. Matt was still concentrating on creating the code, the brain of the machine. He hadn't seen Richard all day.

Mike Logan approached his desk again, like he did almost every day. "Progress report," he said crisply.

"Well, sir, the code is a lot more complex than anything we've dealt with before," Matt replied hesitantly. "I need to confer with some of the other scientists, see what they're coming up with."

Logan seemed on edge. "Skynet is getting a little… anxious for its new weapon. The Resistance is on the verge of mounting their attack. I'd like to deliver some good news."

The last part was more of a warning threat. "I know," Matt replied. "Everything's almost ready. It's just this code that we have to perfect and upload." He glanced around again, still seeing the empty cubicle where Richard usually sat.

He looked up at Logan. "Where's Richard? Richard Freeman?"

Logan's face remained expressionless. "His job here was… terminated."

For a moment, Matt felt a righteous anger inside his gut. "No, you mean _he _was terminated. Why?"

"He was caught with a makeshift radio in his room," Logan replied. Instantly, Matt's insides turned to ice, but he refused to let it show on his face. "You know that's against the rules. He was killed immediately."

"You were in his room?" Matt asked numbly.

"We're everywhere," Logan replied. He paused for a moment before dropping the bombshell. "I saw you going in there last night. Only _I_ did, not a machine."

_Blackmail, in other words, _Matt thought bitterly.

Sure enough, Logan's next words were "If you want to keep it that way, I suggest you continue working on that T-1000 as fast as you possibly can. If you don't, I may mention your breach of the rules to Skynet. And you know what happens if I do that."

"You suck at motivational speeches," Matt muttered.

Logan smiled. "But it _is_ motivating you to work harder isn't it? The thought of your little sister being murdered?"

Matt stiffened and turned back to his screen. "It'll be done."

"You'd better hope so, Storms," Logan replied. "For your sake."

As the head Gray turned and walked away, Matt sank lower in his seat, feeling defeated. He had to get this done for Skynet. He _had _to. There was no escape from this prison, no way out of the bondage he'd been forced into. His only hope now… lay in John Connor.

***************

**Outside Firebase**

Kyle Reese crouched behind a wall of rubble, joined with a small group of soldiers who had been on patrol when he met them on his way back from Topanga. The machines were out and about, HKs flying around in the sky. Kyle looked through the sight of his plasma rifle, waiting until the HK had passed.

"Let's go," he ordered in a hushed tone.

He turned on a light as they entered the tunnels that led to the Firebase bunker, proceeding downstairs and through the twists and turns. When he reached the entrance, he banged on the door.

"Reese BN3816," he rattled off his identification number as one of the soldiers slid open the small peephole.

"Right, let him in," one said, recognizing Kyle instantly. The door opened and Kyle walked into the base, pausing to let a German Shepherd sniff his hand. He then set his light and hat down at the table.

"Derek Reese," he said to the soldier at the table. "Is he here? Did he make it back yet?"

The soldier frowned. "Derek Reese? We lost him to the machines, same as Sayles and Wisher."

Kyle lowered his gaze. Of course they wouldn't know anything about Derek being on his way back.

One thing was certain: Derek wasn't here yet. Kyle took a deep breath. He would just have to wait for his brother then. He walked through the tunnels, heading to the corner where his storage bin was.

He hadn't spent much time in Firebase aside from the brief period he was here with Connor. Even then, he hadn't seen all the civilians in the tunnel. Sitting in corners, sick and crying, eating some mushy food. The supply of food from Camp Toto must have run out, he realized. He'd have to mention that to John. One family was huddled in front of the TV, keeping warm by the fire that burned inside the box.

He slid down against the cold, concrete wall in the back corner. The last time he'd been here was with Derek and Billy, right after Allison's death. They'd tried to cheer him up by teasing him about Century and John Connor. He had appreciated that. But right now it only made him miss his brother even more.

He heard something clanking in the corner and looked over to see a young civilian boy, a rat-catcher, hold up his prize by the tail, earning approval from another. Kyle groaned.

_Not rats again…_ he thought with a grimace.

Feeling exhausted from his long walk from Topanga, still upset by John's new cyborg companion, and disheartened by the deteriorating conditions of the Resistance bunker, Kyle reached into his pocket and withdrew the photo he always kept with him.

The photo of Sarah Connor.

He didn't quite smile, but he felt the odd, comforting sensation he always did when he stared at her picture.

Back at the front of the base, dogs began barking and growling. Kyle's eyes widened and he felt a flash of fear, knowing instantly why the dogs were reacting in such a way.

_Machines! _

He hastily stuck the picture in his teeth and grabbed his plasma rifle. From the entrance, he heard someone scream, confirming the danger for him.

"Terminator!"

That's when the firing started. The rapid gunfire from the Terminator's machine gun, the returning plasma blasts from the Resistance fighters.

And worst of all, the screaming.

Kyle raced down the tunnel hallway, catching a glimpse of the massacre up ahead. All the soldiers at the entrance were lying dead on the ground, civilians trying desperately to escape to the tunnels downtown.

Kyle spotted the Terminator. It was a face he didn't recognize, but it was most likely a Triple 8. Not that it mattered what model it was. It was a killer and it was brutally murdering everyone in Firebase.

Unless Kyle could stop it.

He raised his plasma rifle and fired, but he was still too far away for an accurate shot. The blast went wide, but it drew the Terminator's attention. Kyle dove into the next hallway, barely dodging the machine's return fire.

It kept coming down the hallway, never ceasing fire as it targeted any civilians that were hiding behind cover. Kyle ducked his head back out from his own hiding place, firing at the Terminator again.

But it was too late – the machine already had the upper hand. There was no hope for them now. If Kyle wanted to survive, he had to get out of there now. He doubled back down the tunnel, heading for the other exit.

Suddenly something exploded behind him, sending him hurtling to the ground. The picture flew out of his mouth and he felt the heat of the explosion at his back.

He groaned, looking up to see that the picture had landed in the fire. His eyes widened in helpless shock and he reached forward, grabbing the picture out of the flames. It was burned and blackened, but he could still partially make out Sarah's face.

He heard the plasma blasts behind him and reached up, realizing he was near the tin container with his name on it. _If I get captured, she's not going with me, _he thought determinedly.

He opened the tin, dropped the picture inside, and bolted for the entrance, counting on the fact that the Terminator would be too preoccupied with killing the rest of the Firebase inhabitants that it wouldn't realize he was gone.

He burst out the door, bolting for cover. He didn't know where he was going, just that he had to escape, had to get out. And he still had to find his brother.

He saw a few HKs in the distance and crept behind the wall of cover, trying to stay out of sight. He kept down low, hearing some commotion from the front entrance of Firebase. A group of Terminators were escorting some of the humans out the doors and into a monkey wagon.

Prisoners.

Something crunched behind him and Kyle spun around, fear filling his heart as he saw the Triple 8 coming towards him. Apparently it had noticed he was gone after all.

Kyle knew it was over. He had said it himself.

_Once it locks onto you it will not stop. Until you are dead. _

The Terminator raised its machine gun and Kyle spun to the right, his movement barely saving him from bullets that hit the pile of rubble directly where he'd been standing. Unfortunately, with his sudden spin, he hadn't gotten a chance to check his footing. His foot landed on uneven ground, twisting his ankle sharply and bringing him to his knees.

Blinding pain shot through his leg but Kyle desperately tried to rise. _Disconnect the pain! _He hissed inside his own mind. _On your feet, soldier! _The Terminator was obviously trying to take him prisoner, otherwise it would have continued firing as Kyle went down. Either that or it wanted to come in for the up close kill.

_That means I have a chance to --- _

He heard a crunch of metal on metal and looked up through the pain to see the Terminator standing right above him. Its hand reached out, coming for his neck.

Kyle had resigned himself to this fate. It was inevitable. In this future, no one lived long. But he couldn't help but wish it could have been different. He had failed everyone. And in his death, he had failed Sarah Connor. The woman he had never met but loved with all his heart. He would not be there for her to save her from the Terminator. And that thought - more than any other - sent a stabbing pain through his heart.

But before the Terminator's metal fingers reached his neck, Kyle felt another solid grip on his shoulder, another strong hand that yanked him backwards and half flung him to the side, out of the Terminator's reach.

He nearly cracked his head on the ground, looking up and shaking his head blearily to see what had so violently knocked him to safety.

_Allison? _

No, it was Cameron! John's new, reprogrammed Terminator protector.

Kyle's brow furrowed in confusion. Why was she here? He watched in stunned silence as the Triple 8's steel fist came up, nearly knocking Cameron off her feet. The enemy Terminator, clearly the stronger of the two, grabbed her by her jacket and hurled her backwards into a pile of junk and wreckage.

Then it turned its glowing red eyes on Kyle. Apparently having given up its original mission to take Kyle alive, now the machine merely raised its gun and aimed it at his head.

Kyle tried to move, the reaction sending a sharp pain through his ankle again. The machine gun's bullets rang out and Kyle ducked his head down, wincing, waiting any moment for the pain to hit. To his shock he didn't feel a thing.

He turned his head again to see Cameron standing in front of him, taking the bullets of the Terminator without flinching, having jumped between him and the enemy machine.

"Rifle," she ordered, her tone unnaturally calm for someone who had just been shot a dozen times in the chest. Kyle reacted almost instinctively, handing her his gun. She grabbed it and in the same motion brought it up and blasted the Terminator in the head. The body of the now motionless machine dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.

Kyle was panting heavily, but they weren't out of this yet. He heard the roaring of the HKs overhead and the screams of other people who were being slaughtered by Skynet.

Cameron obviously noticed the danger as well for she turned around to regard Kyle on the ground. He could see the bullet holes and blood stains through the rips in her jacket. Nonetheless, she stretched out a hand.

"Come with me if you want to live."

Kyle tried not to scowl as he took her hand. "Why does everyone keep taking my line?"

She didn't smile exactly, just a slight twitch in the corner of her mouth. "It's a good line," she replied simply.

She didn't release his hand, half-guiding, half-dragging him through the ruins away from the sounds of battle. He could tell she was trying to support him due to his injured leg while at the same time keeping a steady pace to safety.

"What about the others?" he panted as he limped along beside her.

"Skynet has them," Cameron replied.

"We have to rescue them," Kyle protested.

Cameron regarded him. "There's two of us. They're all machines. It would not be possible to rescue them all at this time."

After a few minutes of quick moving, Cameron finally slowed and allowed him to catch his breath and rest his leg under the cover of some debris. As soon as he sat down, Cameron immediately came to his side, attempting to inspect his injured leg.

"You're hurt," she stated.

Kyle jerked away from her touch. She seemed to take a hint and backed off. "I know," he retorted. "I sprained it." Wincing, he felt his leg. It was swollen and it hurt to put pressure on it. But he'd live.

With a heavy sigh, he realized he had a cyborg to thank for that.

He looked up. "Thank you," he muttered hesitantly.

She smiled slightly. "You're welcome."

"Did Connor tell you to come save us?" he asked. He hated the bitter edge that was in his tone. Whether she looked like Allison or not, she'd just saved his life. But she _was_ still a machine. She was only protecting him because John had ordered her to.

"No," she replied.

"Connor didn't send you?" Kyle repeated, cocking an eyebrow.

"He didn't know I was coming here," Cameron elaborated.

Kyle remained silent for a moment, trying to come up with an explanation for her behavior if John hadn't ordered it. "Then why did you come here?"

"I saw the fire."

"And you decided to help? Just like that? Just because?"

She stared at him solemnly. "Human life is sacred."

Kyle gazed back, slightly stunned. Finally he looked away. It had to be more than that. She obviously needed him for some purpose… She was a machine. She couldn't understand the value of human life. John couldn't have taught her that could he? Could she actually understand and make decisions like this on her own?

He scowled to himself. _She. Her. When did I start thinking of a machine like that? _

But… it wouldn't be the first time a machine had helped the Resistance. Marcus Wright had given his life for pilot Blair Williams – if Marcus even counted as a real machine. In all reality, Marcus had been a human with metal bones. He was still essentially human, and Kyle had eventually seen that and accepted him.

But Cameron wasn't human, not in the least bit. And she was reprogrammed, so whatever John had done to her had merely flipped a switch, programmed her to serve humans instead of kill them.

Nothing human about it.

Except for her choosing to come and save him…

He started to struggle to his feet. Cameron was instantly at his side, offering to help him up but he jerked his hand away from her. She looked hurt for only a brief instant. He wondered if maybe she understood that he needed time to think about everything that had happened.

As he started limping behind her, back towards Serrano Point, he couldn't help but feel gratitude towards her, no matter how much his instincts wanted otherwise. She _had_ saved his life. She had given him another chance.

Ultimately, she had given him the chance to meet the legend. He hadn't failed Sarah Connor. He could still volunteer to go back and save her. He could still see her.

That was all that mattered. He'd been wrong earlier. He hadn't failed. Quite the contrary.

He had _survived_.

* * *

_Next week on "Born to Fight": CAMERON: Firebase was destroyed. JOHN: (to Kyle) Derek will be okay. KYLE: I just get the feeling that I'm never gonna see him again. WEAVER: You handle Topanga Canyon and John Henry and I will take care of Skynet. JOHN: (to Cameron) Do you know anything? About Weaver? How does she know so much about the SRD? [John introduces Cameron to his soldiers.] DIETZE: Metal! [Dietze angrily raises his plasma rifle and fires.]_


	28. Born to Accept

_Previously on Born to Fight: [Derek Reese is captured and interrogated by TOK715] DEREK: Kyle?! What have you done with him?! Where is he? TOK715: Firebase. __I have a squad of Triple 8's on their way to his location, ordered to burn everyone until there's nothing left. Tell me where I can find John Connor, and I'll call off the attack. Your brother will live._ _DEREK: Depot II. Connor's at Depot II. [John and Cameron infiltrate the Skynet prison barge.] CAMERON: They're preparing for an attack. JOHN: Kyle found the secret weapon. It's in Topanga Canyon. PERRY: She's one of them, isn't she? A machine. JOHN: Her name is Cameron. I'd like you to remember that. [John and Cameron go to rescue Kyle who is shocked to see her] JOHN: It's not Allison. She's one of ours. Reprogrammed. KYLE: Keep her away from me. LOGAN: Skynet wants the T-1000s completed before the Resistance mounts its attack. SARAH: I told you I'd stop it and I intend to keep that promise. JOHN: (to Weaver) You were right. John Henry is the key to stopping Skynet. [Firebase is attacked and Kyle escapes to be rescued by Cameron.] CAMERON: Come with me if you want to live._ _KYLE: Have you heard any news of Derek? CAMERON: He's at the Skynet prison house. JOHN: Go release him._

**Chapter Twenty Eight:**

**Born to Accept**

**Skynet Prison House**

Derek Reese didn't know how much time had passed since his interrogation, whether it was hours or days or weeks. All he knew was that the Terminators had never taken anyone else down into the interrogation room.

And he knew the reason why.

There was no longer a need.

He had already told TOK715 everything. He had told her where to find John. Maybe she'd already gotten to him. Maybe the war was over. Maybe the Resistance had lost.

"I think they're gone."

Derek barely recognized Timms voice as he slowly opened his eyes, dragging himself back into consciousness. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Billy Wisher – no, _Andy Goode, _stirring as well.

Derek slowly lifted his head, catching sight of something sitting in the center of their small circle. His eyes widened and his eyebrows narrowed.

It was an ax.

The four of them simply stared at it for a long moment before Sayles asked the question they all were wondering.

"What is this, a game?" he demanded, a nervous edge in his voice.

"Yeah," Derek replied. "It's always a game."

He picked up the ax, glancing around the room before bringing the blade down on his chains.

As the others set to work freeing themselves and everyone else who was still alive in the prison house, Derek walked to the door, glancing out over the wasteland.

_What happened here?_ He wondered silently._ Why did Skynet just leave us here? Why not kill us?_ Even if TOK715 had succeeded in killing Connor, the war wouldn't have ended instantly. Skynet sure wouldn't have left any humans alive.

So who had freed them?

"You ready?" Sayles asked. "Back to Firebase, right?"

Derek nodded slowly. "Yeah. Back to Firebase." Where, hopefully - if his interrogator had been telling the truth about calling off the attack - Kyle would still be alive and well.

"Alright, let's move," he ordered in a crisp tone.

They had a long walk back home.

***********

**En Route to Serrano Point**

Kyle walked next to Cameron for the longest time without speaking. Despite the fact that she'd just saved his life, it still felt… weird seeing Allison's face on the machine… and knowing that John Connor cared about this Terminator, that she was the whole reason he had left the safety of the pre-Judgment Day world to come to the dangerous, war-ravaged future they now found themselves in.

Since the machine obviously wasn't going to start making conversation, Kyle figured he had to be the one to speak up… or go insane from the uncomfortable silence. Besides, he figured talking would help take his mind off the dull throbbing in his leg.

"How'd you meet him?" he asked.

Cameron didn't need to ask who he was talking about. "I was sent back in time to protect him in 1999. I saved him from a Terminator that had come to kill him."

"And then you stayed with the Connors?" Kyle asked.

"Yes."

"So you met Sarah Connor?"

"Yes."

Kyle remained silent for a few seconds before daring to ask, "What was she like?"

"A good fighter."

Kyle smiled slightly.

Cameron looked over at him. "She didn't like me."

He scoffed. "I kinda figured that."

"The only thing she could cook was pancakes," Cameron continued.

"Really?" Kyle grinned. Pancakes sounded really good right about now. Suddenly he wasn't looking at Cameron as a killer with the face of a girl he'd loved like a daughter. He was looking at her as someone who knew things, knew about Sarah Connor, knew what she was like. He needed to hear more. "What else?"

"She was a strong, determined soldier who would do everything in her power to protect John and stop Judgment Day. But she wasn't a killer. For a long time, she never killed anyone."

Kyle caught the underlying tone. "But…" he prodded.

"She was forced to. In self-defense."

"Then it wasn't really a murder…" Kyle protested. He was glad. He couldn't imagine the Sarah Connor in that picture killing anyone in cold blood. She may be a soldier, tough-as-nails and responsible for training and preparing John, but a killer? He couldn't see it, wouldn't believe it. "It wasn't really a murder," he repeated.

"Tell her that," Cameron replied before continuing. "She was strong, but also compassionate and loving, especially towards John. She was a legend. A hero." Kyle smiled again and Cameron looked over at him, almost with a smirk on her face.

"She was your type."

Kyle chuckled. "You think?"

"I know."

Kyle hesitated. His instincts were telling him his next question was too far, something he shouldn't – and maybe didn't want to know. But he couldn't let the opportunity pass. "Do you… know who John's father was? He never trusted anyone enough to tell about him. He never mentioned him to me. Did he… has he trusted you with that knowledge?"

"Yes. But not yet."

"You mean you know it from the first time you came from this future?" Kyle deduced. He bit his lip. "Who is he?"

"You'll figure it out," she replied mysteriously.

Kyle lapsed into silence, wondering about that. Was it possible? In the Judgment Day letter Sarah had written to John, a part of it had been addressed to _him – _Kyle Reese. Not some other guy. Could it be possible that _he _was John's father? Was that why he and John looked alike? Was that why he had felt such a deep connection to the young General from the moment he first saw him? In their short time together in the past, did Sarah Connor fall in love with Kyle Reese, just like he had fallen for her even across time? Was he the father of the future?

He glanced back over at Cameron but she had turned back to focusing on the path ahead of them, apparently ending the conversation.

************

**Serrano Point**

John Connor paced inside the long corridor of Serrano Point, waiting for Cameron's return. He couldn't start preparing for the attack without her. He needed to meet with her, Weaver, and John Henry to plan how and where to launch the cyberattack, and he needed to finally introduce her to his soldiers, to let them know that they now had new allies.

Especially since John Henry's machine rebellion was going to be working with them during the attack on Topanga.

He was also worried about Kyle. Sumner had arrived a few hours ago from Firebase, reporting that Skynet had launched an attack. He and a few others had managed to sneak into the tunnels downtown but he had reported that Skynet had killed most everyone, taking some prisoners.

If Kyle was taken prisoner… or worse… everything would fall apart. He needed Kyle in Topanga because only Kyle would volunteer to go back in time to save Sarah Connor.

John was still pacing when the door guard walked up, looking a little troubled. "Sir, Kyle Reese is at the door. With Allison Young."

John's head snapped up. "Good. Let them in."

The guard hesitated. "But, sir. Isn't it a trap? I thought Allison was killed…"

"I am aware of what happened, soldier," John stated through gritted teeth. "I gave you the order."

The guard hurried off and returned a few minutes later with Kyle and Cameron. John sighed with relief when he saw them. Cameron's jacket was bloodied and tattered with holes, but she was perfectly intact. Kyle looked awful but unharmed, dirty and blackened from the soot of the fire and exhausted from the long trek. But whereas physically Kyle didn't seem too badly hurt, John also saw something different in Kyle's eyes… a deep sense of loss.

Cameron approached first. "Firebase was destroyed," she reported.

"I heard," John said grimly.

"Guess we named it right," Kyle said with a humorless laugh. "Most people were killed, some were taken prisoner."

John studied Kyle for a moment, studied the emptiness in his eyes. "Derek will be okay."

"I know," Kyle answered quickly, firmly. "But I just get the feeling that I'm never gonna see him again."

So that explained the loss in Kyle's eyes, but John didn't understand why Kyle would feel that way, though it was probably true. But Kyle wouldn't know anything about going back in time to save Sarah. He cast a quick glance at Cameron, but he doubted she would have revealed any information like that to Kyle.

"Why don't you go get cleaned up?" John suggested.

Kyle nodded once and started down the tunnel. John turned to Cameron.

"Derek?"

"I released him," she replied. "But it will take him days to walk back on foot, especially if they stop to rest."

"How'd you get there and back so fast?"

"A Moto-Terminator," Cameron replied. "It didn't know I had switched sides. Skynet must have figured it out while I was on my way back. It tried to throw me off."

John's face twisted with worry. "Are you okay?"

She gave him a patronizing look. "I terminated it."

"And then you just decided to swing by Firebase?" he asked dubiously.

"I was passing by when I saw the smoke. Kyle Reese was being pursued by a machine. I destroyed it."

John tried to keep a smile off his face. "So you decided to help them? Even though that wasn't your mission? Even though your mission was to protect me?"

"I must protect Kyle in order to protect you," Cameron replied.

John sighed. "Right." So she still didn't completely grasp the idea that life was sacred and she should have helped out at Firebase even if it _wasn't_ Kyle's life – and therefore John's – at stake. But he couldn't be angry with her. He still had plenty of time to teach her.

************

**Serrano Point**

**Secret Room**

John waited until Weaver and John Henry had filled Cameron in on how John Henry's code could act as a virus to take over Skynet and destroy it. She had understood completely upon hearing it the first time.

"Okay," John began. "We know how John Henry's code is going to destroy Skynet. But how are we going to upload it?"

Cameron spoke up first, "The best place to implant the code for the highest chance of success would be one of Skynet's supercomputer terminals."

"Do you know where they are?"

"There are several SRD stations around the globe," Cameron replied.

"SRD?" John repeated.

"Skynet Research and Development. It's a station where Skynet forces human scientists to build new weapons for them."

John suppressed the anger that started to rise with the mention of human slaves. The only way to help those people now was to take down Skynet. "How do we know which one is the best place to upload at?"

Weaver gave John a small smile. "You must learn to trust us, Connor."

He frowned. "What?"

"John Henry?" Weaver nodded to the rebel leader.

"Mr. Connor," John Henry replied. "I have several spies inside Skynet who say that the SRD Island Facility is one of the fastest and most advanced of Skynet's stations."

"It's also the one with the most defenses," Cameron added.

"Correct," Weaver said with a small smile. "But I know how to bypass those defenses."

John quirked an eyebrow. "You do?"

"Have faith, John Connor," Weaver said mysteriously. "You handle Topanga Canyon and John Henry and I will take care of Skynet."

"We distract and you'll kill it…" John repeated.

"It's just like when you sent me to kill ARTIE," Cameron explained.

"Only bigger and there's much more at stake," John grumbled. He sighed before recalling, "My mother also mentioned one more thing in her message. She said that as with any untested code, the scientists were unable to predict how Skynet and John Henry's code would interact when they try to destroy each other. We could end up creating something worse."

"Risks are a part of life, Connor," Weaver replied. "It's a chance we must take."

"You said you need Cameron's code to disguise John Henry's when you upload it to Skynet." John hesitated, looking over at Cameron. "So she needs to go with you?"

"That is unnecessary," John Henry spoke up. "My chip still contains a trace of her code since this chip originally belonged to her. That's all I need to confuse the Skynet anti-virus sensors."

"I'm not leaving you," Cameron added.

"Good," John said with a smile. He looked back the rest of the group. "Topanga will be a diversion. When Cameron and I were on the prison barge, all the Terminators had been recalled. They're gathering, massing for some kind of huge counterattack. Skynet's forces will be ready to defend Topanga. You give me your machine army and we attack and take control of the Topanga and the TDE. Skynet will be busy trying to fight us off that you and JH will have an easier time breaking into SRD. You upload the virus and… we win."

John held out his hand to John Henry. "Good luck."

John Henry stared at the hand for a moment before he shook it. "Yes. Good luck to you, Mr. Connor."

As he started for the door, he caught sight of John Henry repeating the motion with Cameron.

"Good luck," he stated.

John hid a smile as he exited the room, walking down the hall. It took Cameron only a moment to catch up.

"Do you know anything?" he asked. "About Weaver? Why she knows so much about the SRD? Has she been there before?"

"I don't know," Cameron replied. "Perhaps John Henry's spies told her about the defense measures on the island SRD."

"Perhaps," John echoed, though he still got the funny feeling in his gut that something wasn't right. Not that Cameron was lying to him. _I think we're past that now. _

But _Weaver_… He still didn't know her true intentions. Sure, she was working with John Henry and the machine rebellion, but what if she had ulterior motives? What if they were wrong and the merging of John Henry's code and Skynet's would create something worse? What if Weaver was in place to make sure that happened?

He shook off the feeling. _Trust_. That was key here. He just needed to trust her and John Henry.

Trust. And hope that if Weaver ended up betraying him, the entire human race would forgive him…

**************

**Serrano Point**

**Main Meeting Hall**

John stood confidently in front of the crowd of soldiers who, in less than twenty four hours, would be setting off on a deadly mission to capture Topanga Canyon from Skynet.

"With all due respect, _sir,_" Dietze began. "From what we've heard, Topanga Canyon is filled with machines. Skynet activity is all convening there, like they're massing for some huge defense against us. How do we have a chance?"

John cracked a small smile. Of course the soldiers thought it was hopeless. They didn't yet know about the machine allies. "I'll show you." He walked over to the door and opened it. "We have a new officer on base, my second in command…"

Cameron walked in and several officers reacted instantly with shock. "Isn't that _Allison?_"

Predictably, it was Dietze who made the first move, eyes widening in rage. "No, it's _metal!_" He raised his weapon to point at Cameron.

John should have seen it coming, should have taken Dietze's brash nature into account. As it were, he moved without thinking, without any thought for his own safety, putting himself between Cameron and Dietze right as the lieutenant fired his plasma rifle.

But just before the bolt left the barrel, Kyle Reese shoved Dietze's rifle upward and the blast went into the ceiling, bringing down small chunks of cement. Dietze looked at Kyle furiously before focusing his angry gaze on Cameron, all the while cursing John.

"Do you know what that is?" he demanded bitterly.

"Yes, I know what _she _is," John replied calmly.

"Not she. _It_," Dietze retorted.

"She's your ally now," John said in a commanding voice. "Your superior. Her name is Cameron."

Dietze was almost visibly shaking with rage. "Her name? It's not human, Connor!"

"Stand down," John ordered.

Dietze showed no intention of doing what he was told. His adrenaline was rushing and he spat in Cameron's direction. John saw Cameron's hand twitch toward her sidearm, probably trying to decide if Dietze was a real threat or not. Unfortunately, all the movement did was alarm Dietze, who drew his handgun.

"Metal b—"

Before Dietze could finish the word, a bullet grazed his hand, causing him to drop his gun and clutch his hand, howling with pain and rage. John stopped, his arm still outstretched, his finger still on the trigger. It took him a moment to realize he had been the one to shoot. His face flushed with fury as he took a step closer to Dietze, kicking the rebellious man's gun away before crouching next to the fallen soldier.

"Listen to me, Lieutenant," he hissed in a low voice so that only Dietze would hear. "If you ever even start to call her anything like that again, I will kill you." He stood up again and addressed the entire group. "She is loyal to us now. She's loyal to me. If anyone touches her, I swear to God, I will shoot you down. Understand?"

The entire room was filled with fearful silence, some faces were accusing, some shocked, some just seemed relieved that Dietze had been taken care of. But it was the accusing glances that worried John the most.

"What?" he demanded. "You think I've betrayed you all? You think I've changed allegiances?" His eyes settled on Chris Garvin who was standing next to Jesse. "Hmm? Garvin?"

"N…no sir," Garvin stuttered.

John's eyes roved around the crowd. "Let me put it to you this way. Machines and humans have co-existed for hundreds of years. We worked together, in harmony. Machines helped us, we lived in peace."

"Those machines didn't have minds of their own," Dietze growled, still on the floor clutching the burn on his hand.

"True," John agreed. "But which mind is the enemy? Which is the one that tried to destroy us? Skynet. Not the Terminators, not her - Skynet. Skynet is the enemy. The Terminators are machines _programmed _to obey Skynet. They didn't have a choice, they were built that way. Does that make _them_ evil or is it Skynet?"

He could see some of the understanding begin to appear on several of the soldier's faces. "Humans," John continued. "Grays. They're fighting against us, they're fighting for our enemies. Why is it so hard to accept that maybe the machines could be the same way? If the Grays could be brainwashed into serving Skynet, why can't the Terminators be reprogrammed to help us? They're going to help us win this war! She's going to help us win! What's the old phrase? Know thy enemy? What better way to fight the machines than with machines?"

"It's like fighting fire with fire," Dietze replied through gritted teeth. "All you do is get burned."

"We've already been burned, Dietze," John retorted. "Judgment Day saw to that. What greater weapon is there than to turn an enemy to your cause? To use their own knowledge against them? What is the only thing that can stand up to a Terminator?"

He saw Jesse nod her head in understanding and he knew she had picked up on his vision. "Another Terminator."

He smiled slightly. "Exactly. What is the only thing that could remain behind Skynet lines and give us valuable information from the inside?"

"A Terminator!" Garvin cried. "You have reprogrammed Terminators on the inside?"

John nodded. "They're spies, secretly working to provide us with ways to stop Skynet. That is how I was able to infiltrate Skynet Central and rescue the prisoners there. The spies turned off the defense system; they kept the enemy Terminators away from me. You remember Marcus Wright, half Terminator, half man? He chose to help me and the Resistance, even though you tried to kill him. That other Resistance force I told you about, Dietze? The one that was providing a distraction while we attacked Serrano? Those were machines, working with me. A machine helped me get behind Skynet lines and rescue Kyle Reese from Skynet Central. They are what's going to help us infiltrate Topanga Canyon and wipe out Skynet once and for all. Don't you guys get it? This is the only way we can win this war. We need their help."

"How exactly does this work, Connor?" Jesse questioned curiously. "The reprogramming, I mean?"

"I'll show you," John replied. "Capture a Terminator and I'll show you and explain how it works."

*****************

Jesse kept an eye on Dietze out of the corner of her eye. The man was a good sailor, a good soldier. But he also had a hot temper and an opinionated view that he wasn't afraid to speak out on.

Even now, after Connor had shot him in the hand in an act of authority, Dietze was still openly opposing the young General's move. He narrowed his eyebrows in anger. "Does anyone else have a problem with this?"

"Just calm down, Dietze," Jesse insisted. "You heard the man. Connor knows what he's doing."

"Connor's been brainwashed," Dietze retorted. "Did you see the way he looked at it? He actually thinks that's a real girl. He was ready to _die _for it." Jesse shook her head. Connor had a reason for what he was doing. He was merely making a point. He was probably right too. They needed that Allison doppelganger. They needed the machines if they wanted a chance at taking Topanga. Connor understood that. He understood that they sometimes needed to sacrifice, sometimes needed to compromise in order to win.

Reprogramming the enemy was one such thing.

Dietze still wasn't buying into Connor's plan. He turned to Perry, who was standing nearby. "Don't you see what's wrong with this? Can you actually _agree _to this?"

"It's a shock," Perry agreed. Jesse frowned. He didn't sound shocked… unless Connor had already mentioned the metal reprogramming process to Perry before. "But she could be a valuable asset," the Major continued.

"Don't you get it?" Dietze demanded. "That's what they want us to think. They're not assets, they're assassins."

"But they're _our_ assassins now," Perry replied.

Dietze scowled. "I don't believe this."

Jesse sighed, stepping up and using her authority. "Dietze, that's enough. Get to your bunk until Connor's reprogramming demonstration."

Dietze curled his lip and started to leave.

"Yes, ma'am," Jesse stated, correcting him automatically.

Dietze looked angry, but he did acknowledge her, "Yes, ma'am."

************

John ordered a strike team to go out and catch a Terminator, watching and waiting until Dietze and Jesse, the last of the crowd had filed out of the room.

Everyone except for Kyle Reese.

Cameron approached Kyle cautiously. "Thank you," she stated.

"I didn't do it for you," Kyle mumbled gruffly. He looked up to meet John's eyes. "I did it for him."

Cameron looked back at John.

"Cameron…" he said, nodding toward the door. She took the hint and stepped out to wait for him. When she was out of sight, Kyle came closer to John.

"Thank you, Kyle," John said sincerely.

Kyle hesitated a moment. "…No problem, John."

"How are you…taking this?" John asked.

"Do I agree?" Kyle asked. "I don't really know yet." A pang of hurt crossed his face. "She's not Allison."

"I know." John agreed solemnly. He realized that something had obviously changed Kyle's point of view, though. He'd actually said _she _instead of _it. _Maybe Cameron was starting to get through to him.

"But do I trust you?" Kyle continued. "Yes. I'd die for you, John Connor."

He didn't say anything else, simply walked out the door, leaving his powerful, devoted words hanging in the air. John closed his eyes for a moment before turning and walking out the door himself.

Cameron was waiting just outside the main chamber. "You risked your life to protect me," she said as soon as he rejoined her. "That was a dangerous thing to do. It upset people."

His brow furrowed as he stared at her. She'd said that to him before, when he'd risked his life to bring her back after her temporary reversion.

"When you said that to me before," he began, the truth dawning on him. "After you… switched back… it was a warning. I didn't understand it at the time. You weren't talking about Derek and Sarah, you were talking about the Resistance."

Cameron nodded. "If you got too close to me, it would compromise your position with your soldiers."

"You knew it would distance me from them," John continued, all the pieces falling into place as he spoke them. "You thought it would make me a more ineffective leader… You were trying to help me." His face twisted. "You were trying to push me away…"

He saw a equal look of pain on her face. "Not because I wanted to," she insisted. "I said it was better for you if we weren't close, not that I didn't want to be."

"And it worked," John replied. "You pushed me away and we wouldn't have gotten close again except… you reacted to me being with Riley. You were jealous."

"I didn't want to push you away," Cameron replied. "Before you sent me back from the future the first time, you told me to teach you how to become a good leader. Part of that was making you understand that if you got close to me, it would cause problems with your resistance force."

"But…?"

"But after you met Riley, I realized that following your first order was contrary to another request of yours."

"What was that?"

"To be happy. You told me 'I've always loved you, from the moment we met.' Even when you didn't act like it. I didn't want you to stay with Riley."

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore does it?" John replied cheerfully. "We're together now and nothing will change that."

"I don't want to change it."

John looked down for a moment. "I think they'll be okay. Most of them at least. After you and the other machines prove yourselves to them, they'll understand."

He hesitated. "I wish… I wish things could have been different between us back then. I wish I would have had more time to figure it out. Do you remember when I took Riley to Mexico?"

Cameron looked away. "Yes."

"I wish it still existed."

"Why?" she questioned.

"So I could take _you _there. To show you where I grew up, to show you everything I showed Riley that I should have shown you instead. I'm sorry for running off."

"I understand."

"I guess I just… needed someone, you know? Being John Connor can be lonely. Even now it feels like I'm alone."

She placed a hand on his shoulder in a gesture of affection she'd never used before. "You're not alone," she told him. "I'll always be here."

Despite her reassurance, he felt his heart breaking. Because he knew it wasn't true. One of these days, he was going to have to send her away, back to the past to protect his younger self.

And he'd be alone again.

She was right, when she'd told him those words what seemed like so long ago, as they lay together quietly, side by side on his bed.

_Being John Connor can be lonely. _

************

**Serrano Point**

**Computer Laboratory**

John stood next to Cameron in front of the computer screen, the Triple 8's chip plugged into the CPU and a small crowd of Resistance fighters behind him, watching the process with a mixture of confusion and interest.

Finally he removed the chip and placed it back into the machine's head. Several of his soldiers held their weapons at ready, just in case. Even Cameron looked a little jumpy – for a machine, that is. After all, this was technically the first time he'd reprogrammed, but he was sure she would have remembered the process and told him if he was doing something wrong.

The Triple 8 opened its eyes and stared at the crowd. John stepped in front of it, hands clasped behind his back.

"What is your mission?"

"To aid the human Resistance and ensure the survival of humankind," the machine replied automatically.

Slowly, the rifles in the room were lowered as the soldiers began to relax.

"It's like a binary switch," John explained. "Now instead of hunting humans, they defend us."

"But they don't value human life," Dietze countered. "We're nothing to them."

John ignored Dietze's complaints. "They are programmed to obey the orders of the superior officers."

A young private named Seth Kohl stepped up to the machine, moving his hand in front of its face. The machine's face barely moved, never blinked. Seth's eyes trailed up to Cameron.

"It doesn't seem as human as she does," he remarked.

"As _it _does," Dietze was quick to correct.

Seth ignored him. "What model is she?"

"TOK," Cameron stated. "Advanced infiltration model."

"We do have a fail-safe right?" Dietze demanded. "In case they start to compromise their missions?"

"Yes," John replied. He turned to the Triple 8. "Submit to chip extraction." The Terminator remained still, almost frozen as John reopened its head and pulled out the chip.

"And that works," Jesse asked dubiously. "Every time?"

"Yes," John agreed. "Of course, the order has to be issued by the ranking human."

"Where are you keeping them?" Dietze asked, an edge of bitterness in his voice.

"The plan is to eventually have at least one on every major base… as a protection." He glanced around the group. "If there are no more questions, you are all dismissed."

**************

Jesse studied the inactive machine for a moment before she heard Dietze approach her side.

"You know what this means?" he asked. "We'll be getting one as a captain of the _Carter._ A machine. Driving our submarine."

Jesse shrugged. "Maybe that's a good thing."

"Good?" Dietze repeated, lip curled.

"It's a machine, a computer," Jesse replied reasonably. "It could navigate the waters and steer the _Carter_ a heck of a lot better than any human could. Humans get nervous, they get twitchy. They make mistakes. Machines… they don't."

"So you're saying you actually agree with Connor?" Dietze demanded. "That this is _good_?"

Jesse's eyes followed Connor as he and his cyborg second-in-command exited the room.

"We'll see..."

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight_: _JOHN: Weaver and John Henry will be implanting a virus that will destroy Skynet for good. It's our job to capture Topanga. [John's forces attack Topanga. John knocks Cameron out of the way of a plasma blast] JOHN: We can't do this. We're not on even ground anymore. We're going to lose a lot of people. CAMERON: It's a sacrifice you have to make. [John Henry is plugged into a computer at SRD.] JOHN HENRY: Skynet's trying to change the future. [A Terminator enters the time machine and John sees it disappear.] JOHN: I need a volunteer!_


	29. Born to Free

_Author's note: So this chapter is a bit long (but I doubt anyone will complain.) This is the one you've all been waiting for - Skynet's defeat. :D Hope you all enjoy it and as always I'd love to hear your reactions!  
_

* * *

_Previously on Born to Fight:_ _CHOLA: We lose everybody we love. SARAH: If you don't send Kyle, you can never be. KYLE: I get the feeling I'll never see my brother again. [Kyle and John attempt to rescue Firefly bunker. Kyle ducks down as a plasma bolt goes over his head.] KYLE: That thing has plasma! JOHN: Skynet must have picked up some from the Connor camp. [A young girl throws a pipe bomb to disable the machine.] JOHN: Do I know you? You look… familiar. KYLE: Star? You're alive! JOHN: Kyle found the secret weapon. It's in Topanga Canyon. Finding and destroying this thing is the key to winning this war. [At SRD, Matt Storms works to engineer Skynet's new liquid metal Terminator] LOGAN: Skynet wants the T-1000s completed before the Resistance mounts its attack. SARAH: I told you I'd stop it and I intend to keep that promise. JOHN: (to Weaver) You were right. John Henry is the key to stopping Skynet. CAMERON: The best place to implant the code is at SRD. Weaver: You must learn to trust us Connor. DIETZE: Topanga is filled with machines. How do we have a chance? JOHN: (reveals Cameron) We have her. [Kyle prevents Dietze from shooting Cameron and John] KYLE: I trust you, John. I'd die for you_.

**Chapter Twenty Nine:**

**Born to Free**

**Serrano Point**

John Connor had just entered the room with Cameron when Private Chris Garvin walked up, hesitantly glancing at Cameron before his eyes landed on John. "Your friend was asking about you," he reported. "Riley Dawson?"

John felt Cameron stiffen ever so slightly, though he was sure Garvin wouldn't have noticed.

"Where is she?" John asked.

"Here, in the civilian tunnels at Serrano," Garvin replied. _Right, _John realized. Goldfish Bunker had been taken captive and all the escapees had been brought here. He hadn't even given Riley much thought at all since that day. He'd lost Allison and got Cameron back and… he didn't know what would happen with her now.

"Uh… thanks," he muttered.

Garvin looked surprised and John had a feeling that Jesse had probably mentioned the way John had always asked for Riley when he came to Goldfish. "You're not going to…" Garvin's face flushed and he hastily shut his mouth. "Never mind. Not my place, General."

"Thank you," John said crisply.

Once Garvin was gone, Cameron spoke up softly, but with an edge to her voice. "Riley…?"

John had known it was coming. He let out a heavy sigh. "I just felt bad, okay?" he protested. "I mean, she died because of me and now she's alive again…"

"And you wanted to be with her," Cameron finished.

John's mouth parted slightly as he realized the meaning behind Cameron's statement. "_No_," he emphasized. "I don't love her. Don't ever think that. But I cared about her. And I don't know…"

"You never loved her?"

"No."

"But what about the time you stayed out late with her?"

"Why, were you jealous?" he teased. She didn't find it funny at all and his face grew serious. "Nothing happened, I swear. I liked her. But I never loved her." He shook his head, taking a deep breath. "All this time since you've been back you keep apologizing to me, but really it's me who should be apologizing to you. In the past, I was… stupid and blind and horrible to you. I always pushed you away, and I blamed you for everything, I listened to the lies of my mother, Derek, and Riley. And then…"

He hesitated, glancing up at her to see her hanging on his every word, the memory no doubt as clear in her mind as it was in his. "We were together in the hotel and I gave you a choice to make. That if you loved me, you would help me rescue my mother. If not, we would leave like she had ordered and I would have followed you without question." A small smile flitted across his face. "But you chose… because you loved me. Then you got hurt, and I couldn't fix you." He could feel the tears brimming in his eyes and he swallowed hard. "And then you were… you were just gone. And at that point I realized what I'd missed out on."

He reached out and gripped her hand tightly, desperately. "I never got to tell you how I really felt, how I've always felt. You've told me – several times that you love me. Admittedly in some weird ways." He chuckled to himself. Cameron had blatantly professed her love for him on two occasions: once when she was trapped between the trucks after trying to kill him and then on the phone when she'd been mimicking Riley's voice.

"You've told me," he repeated. His words caught in his throat, but he managed to choke out, "But I never told you. And I swore that I wouldn't let you die without telling you that. I was going to do anything to get you back, because I didn't want to deny it anymore. I love you."

Her smile caused his face to light up. "Thank you for explaining," she said softly.

He grinned. "But we don't have any time to waste right now. I have to prepare the battle plan for Topanga." He frowned, glancing around. "Did you see Blair Williams at the meeting?"

"Blair Williams?"

"She's one of my head pilots," John explained. "You met her once, on the prison barge before when you were… never mind," he said hastily. The memory wipe had erased all her memory from when she'd stabbed Blair through the heart and nearly killed John. She probably wouldn't remember Marcus Wright, either...

John's head snapped up. "I think I know where she might be."

*************

**Serrano Point**

**Memorial Site**

John and Cameron walked out to the memorial site for Marcus Wright and Allison Young. John refused to look at the marker for Allison. It didn't matter. She wasn't buried there; she was in Skynet's custody. Maybe experimented on, maybe simply tossed into the river…

He shook his head, pushing the thoughts from his mind.

As he'd predicted, Blair Williams was sitting in front of Marcus' grave. Her head snapped up when John and Cameron approached and she stood up quickly, using her hand to wipe the tears out of her eyes as she tried to appear tough once more. "Sorry, General. I know I should be prepping for the attack."

John gave her a sad smile. "You don't have to apologize, Blair."

She nodded slowly, her eyes moving to Marcus's memorial and back to John. "It just seemed like a good place to --"

"Cry?" John suggested.

"_Feel,_" she amended.

They were silent for a few seconds before John gestured to Cameron. "Blair, this is--"

"I know," she finished. "Cameron, right? Your cyborg love?"

Cameron cast a cautious glance at John, forcing him to explain. "Marcus was a hybrid," he said. "Half-machine, half-human. She loved him. She understands."

Blair didn't seem to show any anger or fear towards Cameron, though John knew she had to remember that Cameron was the one who attacked her on the prison barge helicopter.

Instead she smiled sadly. "Now I know, Connor. I understand why you risked everything to get her back. I'd do the same."

She started walking back inside toward Serrano Point's hanger bay. John followed right beside her, with Cameron keeping pace.

"How are you doing?" he asked worriedly. Having Marcus's heart had to be tearing her apart, knowing that Wright had literally sacrificed himself to save her.

"You can count on me, Connor," Blair said firmly. "They don't call me Hunter Killer Butt Kicker for nothing."

She walked over to her A-10 and started checking the engines. She was working hard, but he knew her tough outward act was just a front for what was going on beneath. She was still hurting, still missed Marcus. It was the same feeling of loss he had experienced when he'd entered Zeira Corp basement and found that Cameron was dead in a sense. Except for Blair it was worse… because John had found strength in the determination and the hope and the belief that he would get Cameron back someday.

But Marcus Wright was never coming back.

Blair continued around her plane, inspecting it.

John spoke up softly, "Think she'll hold together?" He hoped she would understand he was asking about her, not the A-10.

Blair looked up and he saw an infinite sadness in her eyes. "She'll fly true, Connor," she replied, understanding his meaning. "It… it still hurts, right here." She placed a hand over her chest, no doubt feeling the beat of Marcus' strong heart.

Cameron watched the movement. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Blair forced a small smile. "Thanks."

For once, John Connor didn't know what else he could say. There were no words of wisdom, no words of comfort.

No words at all.

************

**Serrano Point**

**Secret Room**

John and Cameron stood inside Serrano Point, watching impassively as Weaver and John Henry prepared to leave for the SRD station where they would implant the code. "Good luck," he said, wondering if cyborgs even believed in luck.

John Henry looked as if he was about to return the salutation when he, Cameron, and Weaver all turned to the door at the same time. It was still a few seconds before John heard what they had.

And only a few seconds more before he saw what was making that noise.

"Perry," John said, raising an eyebrow as the Major entered the room. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to tell you that our force is ready," Perry replied, his eyes drifting from Weaver to John Henry to Cameron and finally back to John. "The pilots are ready, the soldiers are ready. We're just waiting for your order, sir."

"Good," John replied.

Perry looked at Weaver and John Henry again. "Who are they?"

"They will be entering a Skynet facility and implanting a code, a virus that will destroy Skynet for good. It's our job to capture the Skynet secret weapon in Topanga which will also provide a diversion for them to complete the upload."

"A virus?" Perry questioned.

John cracked a smile. "Don't ask questions, Major. It's over your head. Tell your squads to start fanning out. We'll enter Topanga on all sides on my signal. You are dismissed."

Perry held up a hand. "Connor, wait. This virus code… are you sure it will work?"

John bit his lip. "No," he admitted.

Perry looked at John Henry. "Are you sure?"

"No."

"Is anyone sure?"

Both Cameron and Weaver answered simultaneously, "No."

"Fantastic," Perry murmured.

"Look," John ordered. "You and I just need to worry about capturing Topanga. Let them deal with Skynet."

***************

**Topanga Canyon**

John crouched at the bottom of the canyon, one hand on his plasma rifle, the other on the radio communicator that linked him to his air force. Right now, Blair and the other pilots had launched the aerial attack, doing a decent job drawing off Skynet's HKs.

Now, it was just a matter of taking out all the endos that would come streaming out of the Skynet complex as soon as John's soldiers revealed themselves.

He felt Cameron's hand on his shoulder. "Everyone is waiting for your signal."

He briefly placed his hand on top of hers, giving her a small smile before he drew in a deep breath and gave the order.

As soon as the Resistance charged forward, he saw the Terminators burst through the doors of the Skynet complex. John Henry's rebel machines went first, trying to draw off Skynet's fire, some even getting close enough to start physically attacking the enemy Terminators.

Cameron was one of the first in John's group to move forward, her plasma rifle in hand and a grenade launcher slung across her back. John followed a few feet away, trying to concentrate through the sounds and chaos of the battleground.

One of Cameron's plasma bolts hit a Triple 8 in its head, dropping it to the ground. Another Terminator saw the attack and turned toward Cameron, whipping its weapon around. For a brief second, time froze and John Connor saw exactly what was in the Terminator's hand. It wasn't just any gun.

It was a plasma rifle, same as the resistance used.

A plasma rifle that could severely damage or even kill his cyborg protector.

_No! I'm not losing her this time!_

He moved instinctively, plowing into Cameron and knocking her to the ground, feeling the heat of the plasma bolt pass directly where she'd been standing, where it would have hit her chip dead on.

He landed on top of her and heard a bloodcurdling shriek from behind him. His head snapped around toward the sound and he saw it--

One of his soldiers dropped to the ground - dead, half of his head gruesomely melted away from the heat of the plasma. John's mouth dropped open in horrified shock and he felt like throwing up.

The plasma bolt he'd just saved Cameron from had killed this human being.

From a few yards away, he saw Dietze's face twist into an angry look of shock and betrayal. The lieutenant had seen it too, had seen John save a machine at the cost of a human life.

John felt Cameron grab him by the collar of his jacket, dragging him into position behind some large rocks that would provide cover. John could only stare numbly – guiltily - at the dead soldier's body. And he wondered… if he had seen that man standing there, would he still have saved Cameron? Even if it meant that human's death? His conscience didn't like the answer his heart was telling him.

Cameron's hand gripped his jaw, jerking his head around to face her. "You need to focus, John," she ordered, her tone sharp and commanding. "You need to lead."

John looked back out across the battlefield, seeing the blue and purple flashes of the plasma blasts, both from humans and machines. Their former advantage was gone. Skynet had reverse engineered the plasma rifles and mass produced them for its own units.

The Resistance was slowly being pushed back. Perry, Kyle, and Dietze were among the few soldiers who took refuge with John and Cameron behind their rocky cover point.

"Orders," Cameron reminded him.

John shook his head. "They all have plasma rifles now. Kyle and I saw a terminator with one at Firefly, but now all the endos have them." He felt a sinking feeling in his gut. There was no way they could do this – not without a massive amount of casualties. "We can't do this," he said. "We're not on even ground anymore. We both have plasma and they have numbers…"

"We have John Henry and his machines," Cameron reminded him.

_Even so… _"We're going to lose a lot of people."

"It's a sacrifice you have to make."

Her coldness surprised him. "What?"

"This is your only chance, John," she stated reasonably. "You have to take Topanga now. You have to provide the distraction for Weaver and John Henry and you have to capture that TDE. It's not just important; it's essential. It has to be done, no matter the cost."

She was right, he realized, no matter how much he hated it. Ultimately, if he didn't take Topanga now, he'd lose so much more. _Everyone_ would be lost.

Kyle had watched the exchange, waiting for a definite answer. "What are your orders, John?"

"Connor?" Perry began. "If I may suggest…"

"No," John ordered briskly. "We move forward."

He noticed Dietze glaring at Cameron before he turned to follow his commander.

**************

**Skynet Research & Development Station**

**Deep Ocean**

Matt Storms sat uneasily at his computer desk. He felt helpless not knowing what was going on. About an hour ago, Logan had reported that the Resistance was massing their attack. He had left SRD along with several other Terminators.

Matt was sure Skynet wasn't happy with the fact that Matt and the other scientists hadn't managed to perfect the T-1000 before the assault, which was exactly what he had intended. Unfortunately, with Richard gone and his radio destroyed, Matt now had no way of knowing what was happening in Topanga. Was the Resistance actually succeeding with their strike? Were they getting wiped out by Skynet's massive resistance forces?

Before he could ponder anymore, a door burst open at the end of the room and two figures entered, one female, one male. The female's eyes caught his with a piercing intensity and she instantly headed his way. Immediately he felt nervous. They weren't walking like humans.

Which meant they were Terminators.

When the two approached, the male offered him a cheerful smile. "Hello, my name is John Henry. This is Catherine Weaver."

Matt frowned, puzzled at the unusual display. If they were Terminators, weren't they here to kill him for screwing up Skynet's T-1000 project?

The one called John Henry held out a hand for him to shake and Matt took it reluctantly. "Matthew Storms."

"Mr. Storms," Weaver said, crisply, getting right down to business. "We need access to the supercomputers."

Matt cocked an eyebrow. Whoever they were, his best hope of survival was to help them. "I can get you into the room, but Skynet has Terminators that guard the inside. The last guy who tried to hack his way in got killed."

Weaver simply stared. "We'll take care of any resistance."

Whereas this Catherine Weaver entity seemed to be completely mission oriented and in a huge hurry, John Henry appeared more friendly, almost child-like. "Please," he said with another smile. "We must help John Connor."

_John Connor? _Matt sprang into motion. "You're with John Connor?" he said excitedly. "Connor has machines working for him?"

"Working _with_ him," John Henry corrected.

Matt started walking quickly. "The main Skynet terminals are this way. I'll show you."

****************

**Topanga Canyon**

**Skynet Complex**

John Henry's machine backup team had arrived on the scene, effectively helping John's squad breach the entrance of the Skynet complex. Even so, John tried not to think about all the human soldiers who had been already been killed in the storming of Topanga.

The radio crackled and John clicked it on. "Blair! What do we have?"

"A bucket of water, Connor," Blair replied evenly. He recognized the Wizard of Oz code for 'out of ammo'. "I have two ruby slippers but I was saving those for the fireworks later."

Perry was staring at him with a raised eyebrow and John elaborated. "She has two missiles but is saving those for when we blow up the place." He clicked on the radio again. "Run Toto Run. Wait for the fireworks."

He could have sworn he heard her sigh at the command to get to safety. "Copy that, Connor."

John held up a hand to stop the rest of the squads from advancing into Topanga. "Wait here," he ordered. "Guard the entrance and don't let any more machines in."

"You're going in alone?" Sumner asked, eyes wide.

"Of course not," Dietze retorted bitterly. "He's taking the metal with him."

John scowled. "Maybe next time I'll shoot your mouth instead of your hand," he shot back. Dietze's lips set in a thin line and he remained silent. John addressed the crowd again. "Perry and Kyle, your squads will come with me."

Kyle stepped forward, and John saw Star standing directly behind him, obviously having refused to stay at Serrano while Kyle put himself in danger.

"Kyle…" John began.

Kyle looked up and met John's gaze, recognizing the message. The deeper they went inside the Skynet complex, the more dangers there were.

"Star, wait here," Kyle ordered. Immediately, the girl's eyebrows narrowed and she started signing so rapidly that John wondered how Kyle could even keep up with what she was saying. "It's too dangerous inside," Kyle's voice broke. "I've already lost the girl I loved like a daughter. I've lost my brother to a Skynet work camp. I don't want to lose you too."

The pleading in his voice and eyes finally made Star relent, though she did so with attitude, crossing her arms as she took her position next to Sumner at the entrance.

John almost felt bad for the girl, knowing this was her goodbye to Kyle, even if neither of them knew it yet.

Because if everything went according to plan, Kyle Reese would never be leaving the Skynet complex alive.

**************

**Skynet Research & Development Station**

**Deep Ocean**

Weaver stood behind John Henry, studying the screens intently. John Henry was plugged into the mainframe, the direct access allowing for a better chance of success.

"It's working," John Henry reported. "Cameron's code is confusing the anti-virus scanners. My morality code is uploading into Skynet now."

"Now what?" Matt questioned.

"Now his code will spread through the internet like a virus, instantly infecting all the computers and destroying any Skynet code inside," Weaver replied. She looked over at him. "You should return to your computer and the liquid metal."

Matt frowned in confusion. "Why?"

Weaver merely smiled. "I have a feeling a scientific breakthrough is about to occur…"

****************

**Topanga Canyon**

**Skynet Complex**

John kept close behind Cameron as she led them through the hallways of the Skynet complex. So far there had been minimal resistance. Either the machines had all been sent outside in the initial attack or they were simply waiting to ambush him inside the TDE chamber.

He cast a quick glance at his father, whose eyes were alight with anticipation. "It's really happening," Kyle breathed. "We're smashing their defenses. We're gonna win…"

One of his squad members nodded in agreement. "It's hard to believe that this will be the final battle - if that virus code works. How long have we been fighting the machines?"

Kyle shrugged. "I don't even know what year it is anymore."

"I think its 2029."

"Really?"

John knew it couldn't be more than 2027 since that was the year Cameron got sent back in time from. But before he could correct the soldier, a huge blast threw them all backwards.

John rolled with the landing, bringing his plasma rifle up to shoot off two blasts at the Terminator that came through the smoke from the explosion. Cameron and Kyle had done exactly the same thing he had, all the bolts hitting the Terminator at the same time and shredding it to pieces.

"Nice teamwork," John commented. He saw Kyle glance at Cameron. His look didn't hold any warmth in it, but neither did it hold any hostility toward John's metal companion. John considered that an improvement.

Cameron was on her feet first, holding out a hand to pull John to his feet. He brushed himself off and grasped his rifle tighter.

"We should be near the TDE chamber," Cameron spoke up. "Right in the dead center of the facility."

John took a deep breath before pressing forward.

_This is it…_

_****************_

**Skynet Research & Development Station**

**Deep Ocean**

Matt sat at his own computer terminal, watching the effects of the cyberattack on his screen. John Henry had enabled a monitor program that allowed both him and Weaver to observe the progress he was making. John Henry's code showed on the screen as a bluish color whereas Skynet's code was red, making it easy for Matt to follow exactly what was going on in the attack.

Juan Lopez, another of Matt's fellow scientists, rushed into the room. "Storms! Something's up with Skynet. I was on my computer and it caught some kind of virus. The Terminators are all acting weird." Lopez's eyes fell on Matt's computer screen. "What are you doing? We can get out of here!"

"Not while those machines are still guarding, whether they're losing their connection with Skynet or not," Matt replied evenly. "I'm sure Weaver and John Henry didn't have time to take them all out. They probably didn't even enter the slave quarters and take out those patrols. We can't leave without our families."

"Who's Weaver and John Henry?"

"Resistance fighters," Matt replied simply. "They're uploading a virus code into Skynet in an attempt to kill it."

That sparked Lopez's interest. "That's what's causing all this? A virus code? And it's actually working?"

Matt was about to reply when he saw a new string of code flash across his screen. "Whoa… check this out… this code." The blue and red codes on the screen seemed to break off and merge into a new color, a new sentient code. "The code the Resistance is putting into Skynet… it's… _combining_ with Skynet, spawning something new, something different…"

Lopez shifted nervously. "What is it? Good or bad?"

Matt's eyes widened. "It's… perfect."

"What are you…?"

Matt didn't respond, going off gut instinct alone. He plugged a cable into the box that contained the liquid metal mass and downloaded the code into the T-1000 without second guessing himself. It was slightly different from the code he had previously been working on for the liquid metal Terminator. It wasn't just a code for a machine, it was _sentient. _Self-aware.

Lopez followed the process with growing enthusiasm. "You did it, Matt! You finished the T-1000!"

"I didn't do it," Matt replied modestly. "John Henry did."

"It can help us get out of here!"

"No, we can't get out of here," Matt countered. "We're on an island in the middle of the ocean, remember? But…" he smiled, a gleam in his eye. "Maybe it can help us takeover."

He reached over and unplugged the box's power cord from the computer, opening the lid to reveal the pool of liquid metal inside. Both of them watched with shock and awe as the mass slowly formed into a silver humanoid shape.

"I've…" Being faced with the actuality of the situation, Matt suddenly couldn't speak. "I've completed the T-1000… Something this complex… it's never happened before…"

The liquid metal blob reached forward and carefully touched his shoulder. His mouth dropped open as the liquid metal rippled and slowly changed until he was staring at a mirror image of himself.

Lopez's eyes widened. "Holy crap!"

The liquid metal cocked its head, studying Matt with a stoic face before speaking in his exact voice, "I'll bet that never happened before either."

Matt wasn't sure if the machine meant it as a joke, but the facial expression never changed. "We need your help," he began. "Skynet is holding us hostage. We need help destroying all of its Terminator guards. Can you… are you capable of taking them out?"

"Of course," the T-1000 replied.

Lopez was still staring in shock. "Man… a T-1000…"

Matt's brow furrowed as he studied the liquid metal copy of himself. "I don't think it's a T-1000."

Lopez almost laughed. "Are we looking at the same liquid metal blob?"

"It seems more advanced than that," Matt replied. "It has a genetic code of John Henry, so it doesn't see us humans a threat, but like Skynet it's devoid of human emotions. It's still more advanced than what we imagined the T-1000 would be. We have to call it the… T-1001."

"Whatever it is," Lopez replied, "it can help us get out of here."

"Can you imagine?" Matt asked. "This thing could be a huge asset to John Connor. Especially since _we _have it and not Skynet."

Both of them watched as the T-1001 opened the door to the hallway, instantly spearing a Terminator through its head by extending a sharp liquid metal appendage. Matt and Lopez could only stare.

Matt's eyes widened in realization. "It's going to change the course of the war," he whispered.

"It's going to change the world."

***************

Weaver kept her focus on the computer screen, ignoring the sounds of battle coming from inside the SRD. John Henry had confirmed that his code was indeed destroying Skynet slowly but surely, the spawning of the other sentient codes was merely a side effect.

"It's dying," John Henry commented. "It knows this. It's trying one last thing to ensure its survival."

Weaver tilted her head. "What is it doing?"

John Henry was silent for a moment before looking up at her, his face deadly serious.

"It's trying to change the future…"

****************

**Topanga Canyon**

**Skynet Complex**

Kyle was one of the first to enter the chamber. From across the room, he saw a T-800 model 101 unit inside a blue bubble that could only be the time machine John had spoken of. Some of the soldiers behind him saw the machine and raised their rifles.

"No!" John shouted, holding up a hand. Kyle understood his desperation. If the time machine were damaged or destroyed, no one would be able to save Sarah Connor from that T-800.

Several of the soldiers simply stood, with mouths hanging open as the Terminator finally disappeared, trying to figure out what they were seeing.

"What you see in here has to remain a secret, do you understand?" John demanded hastily. "You tell nobody."

Perry nodded mutely. "Connor, what is it?"

"Time machine," John explained hastily. "Skynet has just sent a Terminator back to 1984 to kill my mother, Sarah Connor. Now I need a volunteer to go save her."

Kyle didn't even let a split second go by. He stepped forward, his face strong and determined. "I'll do it."

"Reese?" Perry demanded. "What are you doing? We need you here."

Kyle didn't even look back, keeping his eyes locked on Connor and the time machine that would finally unite him with Sarah Connor. This was his mission and his alone. "It's the chance to meet the legend," he replied softly.

John stared at the rest of the soldiers. "Okay," he snapped. "Everyone else out! Keep the compound secure from any stray terminators."

Kyle watched with a heavy heart as the soldiers in his squad left the room, casting quick glances back at Kyle and John. Yeah, he'd be leaving a lot behind. But Kyle wouldn't trade this for anything.

He would finally get to see her… in person, in the flesh, _alive. _

Cameron moved to the corner, programming the TDE. John's face was twisted, like he was trying to hold back tears of his own.

Kyle felt the sting in his own eyes as well. Because he finally understood John's pain. He understood what had to happen. John was being forced to send Kyle to his death… to save his mother.

And - in doing so – save the world.

"Give her this message for me," John began, swallowing hard in an attempt to keep his voice strong. "Thank you, Sarah. For your courage through the dark years. I cannot help you with what you must soon face except to say that the future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves. You must be stronger than you imagine you can be. You must survive or I will never exist."

Kyle nodded, recognizing the words immediately from the letter he had read from Sarah. A tear rolled down his cheek as he looked up at John Connor.

The leader of mankind.

The savior of the human race.

And - Kyle knew it now, sensed it, could _see it_ in John Connor's face. He saw Sarah Connor in the young General, but he also saw himself. And he understood.

_My son…_

"Do whatever it takes to save her," John ordered, his young voice breaking with emotion. "Whatever it takes. I _need _her."

Kyle nodded firmly, stepping onto the platform. "I will. You have my word, John."

John gestured to Cameron, who activated the TDE. Kyle kept his eyes locked on John as the blue light started to cloud his vision, separating them.

There was flash of bright white light.

And then…

_Pain. _

***********

John Connor stared at the empty place where Kyle had disappeared, fighting the deep sense of grief and loss in his heart. He would never see his father again. He had just sent Kyle Reese to his death.

He was vaguely aware of Cameron stepping up beside him. "Kyle wouldn't have it any other way," she pointed out.

John knew she was right. Kyle wouldn't trade his two days with Sarah Connor for anything. John knew and understood that. But it still hurt. He turned back to the door.

"Let's go."

As soon as they exited the chamber, John was greeted by Major Perry and Star who were running up, panting hard. Perry must have noticed the distraught look in John's eyes because his brow furrowed.

"Connor… are you okay?"

"Do the job, Perry," John replied numbly. "What are you doing here?"

Perry gestured to Star. "The girl wanted to see you. Demanded it."

John nodded to Perry. "You can go now. Get back to your men. We'll be right behind you."

As Perry hurried off, John looked down at Star. "What is it?"

She started signing something rapidly, her eyes questioning, looking from him to Cameron to the door they had just exited.

He realized she was asking about Kyle.

The hopeful look on her face nearly broke his heart. "He's…gone," he whispered, swallowing hard. _He's dead_. "He went back in time. I'm sorry."

Star's mouth slowly dropped open and he saw tears glisten in her eyes. And then she did something that he never expected, something that utterly shocked him.

She _spoke_.

"We lose everyone we love," she whispered softly.

John was stunned into silence, his jaw dropping slowly. Not just because she had spoken for the first since he'd known her. Because he'd heard that before.

Inside him and Cameron's hotel room.

When Chola had come to deliver their fake IDs and the message from his imprisoned mother.

"_We lose everyone we love."_

"_She told you to say that?"_

"_No."_

John's eyes widened as he took in her appearance. Now he realized why she had always looked so familiar.

"You… you're…"

"Yes," Cameron spoke up. "Chola. From Carlos' gang."

John turned to Cameron, confused. "I send her back in time? To do what? Become a part of Carlos' gang? Why?"

"Because she will eventually help you," Cameron replied. "She brought us fake IDs."

"But we didn't use them," John protested. "So I don't need to send her, right?"

"We didn't use them," Cameron agreed. "But she helps your mother, James Ellison, and Danny Dyson."

John's eyes trailed down to Star. "She creates IDs for them?"

"She does."

A sentry came bursting down the hall, shouting. "Connor! The Terminators are coming!"

Before the words had finished leaving his mouth, a shot rang out and the guard fell, revealing a red eyed Terminator endoskeleton behind him.

Cameron reacted a split second before John could, dragging both him and Star back into the TDE chamber and bolting the door.

"It won't hold them for long," she warned, giving John a pointed look. "I can' protect you both. You know what you have to do."

John's eyes lit up with understanding. He didn't just send Star back in time to help Sarah and Ellison. He sent her back to save her life.

He knelt down and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Star… listen to me. I have to send you back in time, just like I did with Kyle."

She didn't speak again, signing a few motions he didn't understand, but by the hopeful look in her eye he could guess what she had asked. "No, you won't see Kyle. But I want you to find Enrique Salceda and his nephew Carlos. Okay? Remember those names."

He told her Enrique's address. Three times to make sure she'd remember. "You'll know what to do then. Carlos will teach you."

She looked hesitant even as he reached over and powered up the TDE again. "You have to go. If you stay here you'll die. Please… just go."

She stepped into the center of the portal and he programmed the TDE for the date 2000, giving her time to grow up in the past, to live and learn with Enrique and Carlos.

He activated the machine, watching the blue light crackle around her, the bubble slowly forming. Just before she disappeared, he heard the door crack open with a loud bang. Cameron slammed into him, knocking him behind some computer equipment as the Terminators entered with guns blazing. Several of the bullets hit the TDE equipment, frying it, but they were too late to stop Star's time jump. She was already gone.

"Now what?" he asked Cameron, clutching his plasma rifle to his chest and keeping his back against their cover position.

"Wait here," Cameron ordered. She ran out from cover, despite his protest, firing a couple blasts and grabbing Star's bag, taking a few bullets in the shoulder as she ducked back under cover with John.

He hastily grabbed the backpack. "Pipe grenades," he breathed, taking one out of the bag. "Kyle's specialty."

Cameron went to work punching an escape hole in the brick wall to their right while John tossed a pipe grenade near the entrance where the Terminators were trying to enter. Then he closed his eyes and covered his ears, the explosion still nearly deafening him. Some of the firing stopped and he realized the explosion had taken down a few of the Terminators, at least temporarily.

Cameron had finished the small hole in the wall, crawling through first to check the surroundings before ordering him to follow. John quickly threw Star's backpack right over near the time displacement equipment. Just to make sure it would be destroyed when they blew the place, he shot a plasma bolt at the bag, instantly igniting all the pipe bombs that remained.

He felt a strong arm on his shoulder yank him out through the hole in the wall, the bricks shielding him from the blast. Cameron threw herself on top of him as some of the ceiling crumbled around him, her body shielding him from any physical harm. Even so, he could feel the floor shake under his feet from the shockwave.

Cameron dragged him to his feet. "Let's go!"

John followed her through the building and outside, where Sumner, Perry and all the other squads were still guarding.

"Blow it!" John shouted as he boarded one of the helicopters waiting to escort them to safety. Cameron hopped on beside him and the chopper rose into the air. He watched with satisfaction as all of his A-10 pilots launched their missiles simultaneously at the complex, igniting all the explosives Perry's squad had placed inside and blowing the place sky-high.

His radio buzzed and John picked it up.

"It's done," Weaver reported simply. "John Henry's code was able to destroy Skynet's."

For a moment, John felt as if he couldn't breathe. They'd planned and prepared for this day and yet, he'd never truly thought about what would happen if it worked – if they could destroy Topanga and upload the virus.

He let out a relieved breath. They had succeeded. John Henry and Weaver had succeeded. Skynet was destroyed, defeated.

He glanced over at Cameron, the two of them sharing a small smile. If Skynet was finished, then it was all over.

Today was the start of a new world, a world without Skynet. A world where machines and humans would live in peace together, no longer under the tyranny of Skynet and its deadly Terminator enforcers.

They were free.

* * *

_So, what did you all think? I'd love to hear your reviews and reactions! Now I thought about not posting a teaser for next week because it would spoil somethings, but since you obviously know the story isn't over (After all, I've already leaked that there's another thirty chapters to go.) So, here's the teaser for what is essentially part II:_

_**Next Week on Born to Fight:** JOHN: We defeated Skynet. I should be happy. CAMERON: You think you've won? You're wrong. The war has only just begun. JOHN HENRY: It's something worse. JOHN: The singularity. It's created a better version of itself. JESSE: Another Skynet? WEAVER: It's stronger, smarter, and more powerful than the first. SARAH: There will come a time where you think you can't go on. But you cannot give up. You must remain strong. You must lead. WEAVER: The nightmare begins. CAMERON: Things are gonna get much, much worse._


	30. Born to Rule

_Previously on Born to Fight:_ _LOGAN: Skynet will save the human race. MATT: No. It kills people. And you helped it! LOGAN: I made a deal with Skynet. I designed the Terminators to help them enforce the rules and keep the peace, to help rebuild and clean up the earth. MATT: You won't win me to your misguided cause. I'll never become a Gray. JOHN: (to Weaver) You were right. John Henry is the key to stopping Skynet. JOHN: They will be implanting a virus that will destroy Skynet for good. It's our job to capture Topanga. MATT: Connor has machines working for him? JOHN HENRY: Working with him. MATT: It's… combining with Skynet… LOPEZ: You finished the T-1000! JOHN HENRY: It's trying one last thing to ensure its survival. It's trying to change the future… JOHN: I need a volunteer. KYLE: It's the chance to meet the legend. STAR: We lose everyone we love. JOHN: You have to go. If you stay here you'll die. WEAVER: It's done. John Henry's code was able to destroy Skynet's. JOHN: It's over._

**Chapter Thirty:**

**Born to Rule**

**Skynet Research & Development Station**

**Deep Ocean**

Weaver watched quietly as John Henry's code destroyed the last bits of Skynet, obliterating it from the internet and the computer systems. And with the sentient viruses that spawned from the morphing of John Henry's code and Skynet, she had ensured her own creation.

Already Matthew Storms had completed Weaver's younger self and used it as a means to gain control of SRD from the Terminators that were now disconnected from Skynet.

She picked up her radio transmitter. "John Connor?"

His voice answered quickly and she could recognize a dozen different human emotions in his tone: grief being one of the most dominant. But she could also hear the joy, the victory. He had taken Topanga.

"It's done," she said simply. "John Henry's code was able to destroy Skynet's."

She hung up so she would not have to listen to the humans' frantic celebratory screaming from the other end.

"Ms-s. W-wea-ver…"

John Henry's voice was stuttering and she turned back to the computer screen to see an unfamiliar code, an unfamiliar entity. The once victorious indicator of an all blue screen was now completely surrounded by a foreboding and sinister black color that was slowly enveloping John Henry's blue code.

It was something more powerful than John Henry.

And it was trying to kill him.

Just before the blackness engulfed John Henry's code completely, Weaver quickly reached over and pulled the plug that connected the back of John Henry's head to the computer system. It took fifteen seconds for him to reboot using his chip's power.

"What was it?" she questioned.

John Henry stared back at her, seeming more than a little on edge from being almost killed… again. "It's something worse."

Weaver nodded slowly, almost imperceptibly.

"And so the nightmare begins."

**************

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

John Connor couldn't seem to think straight, couldn't seem to _relax, _despite the huge victory, despite the fact that they had just defeated Skynet. Cameron was sitting on the edge of the beat-up mattress he had salvaged and had been using as a bed. She didn't speak, merely watched him as he paced back and forth from one side of the room to the other.

"We've won," he blurted out. "The war is over. I… I should be happy."

Cameron cocked her head. "Why aren't you?"

John hesitated, but he already knew the answer. "Kyle."

"You miss him," she surmised.

John closed his eyes, shaking his head sorrowfully. "I sent him to his death," he whispered guiltily. "My own father. I had to send him to his death."

"It had to be done, John."

"I know," he agreed. He let out a deep sigh and came over to sit next to her on the bed. "But… it doesn't stop the pain," he continued. "I'd finally gotten to be with him… I got to actually see my father for the first time in my life… and now… he's gone. He's… he's dead…"

He could feel the emotion stirring inside him, felt the tears start to come, a response to everything he had been through in the last few years, the losses, the deaths, the _pain._

Cameron's hand reached forward and gently pushed his head down into her lap and he could feel her start running a hand through his hair and on his neck in a comforting way.

He shuddered involuntarily at her soothing touch.

"You're good at that," he whispered.

"Stroking your hair?"

"No. Well, yeah, but… you're good at comforting."

The situation reminded him of another time, just after Riley had died and he'd finally broken down. He'd been sitting on the couch, between Cameron and his mother. He knew his mother would be able to comfort him. She was always willing to do so. But he hadn't gone to his mother. Not at the start.

First he looked to Cameron.

He had wondered if she would try to console him. He had _wanted _her to, wanted to feel _her_ holding him, _her_ touch comforting him. But she hadn't even made eye contact with him, and he'd turned to his mother instead.

"Why didn't you try to do this when Riley died?" he asked.

"I would have," she replied easily.

He frowned. "So why didn't you?"

"Sarah told me why you sent me to the past," Cameron began, seeming almost hesitant. "She said you got rid of me because you didn't want me around. I wish to understand what I do wrong to make you angry."

John lifted his head, staring at her in astonishment. "Cameron… I didn't send you away because I hated you. It would have killed me to have to send you back, but you were the only one who could protect me. You're the only one I trusted. My mother… was just trying to keep you away from me. She doesn't understand. She never did. But I guess we don't have to worry about that, do we? It's over."

Cameron didn't reply and he quickly stood up, walking over to where he had hung his jacket. He carefully reached into the pocket, withdrawing the small box he'd always kept with him.

"I've been keeping something for you…" he began even as he popped open the container and dumped the contents out onto the bed: the photo of him and her at an amusement park, the kill necklace, and the diamond which he had just recently fashioned into a small ring using an unfolded paperclip as a band.

She locked onto the diamond instantly and he saw her eyes sparkle with recognition.

"It's the diamond you gave me after we raided Derek's safehouse," she stated.

"Yeah," John agreed with a broad smile. He picked up the diamond and placed it in her hand. "Will you marry me?"

She gave him a patronizing look. "That is illogical."

His face fell. "What?"

"There's no place to have a wedding in this time, John," she responded reasonably. "It's highly unlikely that any ministers or church buildings survived the nuclear apocalypse."

John almost laughed, rolling his eyes. "I didn't mean an actual wedding. It's the principal."

"Oh. Then of course."

"I guess you're right, though," he agreed. "It'd be impossible to have a ceremony." His mother was gone, his father was gone. In fact, the person he would have chosen to be his best man would have been his father, how weird was that? Cameron had no family, no father to walk her down the aisle. Machines would be on one side and humans on another.

"Would anyone even attend?" Cameron questioned, even as the thought entered John's mind. "They don't approve of me."

"Hey," John countered. "There are soldiers who accepted my decisions about machines. Some are even grateful to have you all on our side, I could tell. It's because of you that we were able to capture Topanga and end this war. It's just the ones who hate you that are usually the most outspoken. Some like machines."

"This is different and you know it."

"I know." He picked up the kill necklace and removed the pocket watch from the chain, replacing it with the ring. "Which is why it's probably best not to wear it on your finger." As he clasped it back together, he reached forward and gently slid the necklace over her head, offering her a tender smile.

"Maybe after we rebuild we can… have a ceremony."

Cameron glanced up at him, but he saw no responding smile in her eyes. "You think you've done it?"

He frowned. "Done what?"

"Ended the war. Brought peace."

"Skynet's destroyed," he reminded her. "I can tell you _I'm_ feeling a lot more at peace."

"But have you done it?" she repeated. "Do you feel like you've done all you were meant to do?"

_What are you getting at? _"I… well…" he hesitated, suddenly feeling unsure. "I figured it might take longer than three years, but…"

She didn't allow him to finish his excuse. "Things haven't happened yet, John."

His eyebrows knit together. "What things?"

"You haven't begun mass reprogramming. You haven't utilized your own TDE at Depot II. You haven't seen the T-1000. Skynet hasn't sent any more Terminators back in time to kill you. You haven't sent me…"

John felt his heart wrench at the thought of sending her away again. "We changed it!" he protested. "We changed the future! It's over; we can _live! _We can have a normal life now!"

She didn't react to his shouting. "Can we? _Did_ we change the future?"

"We had John Henry," John continued desperately, trying to find some loop in her logic, something to convince himself that it truly was over. "His code… it destroyed Skynet. We changed it."

"How can you be sure this didn't happen in the original timeline?"

John drew in a deep shaky breath. "What are you saying?"

Her eyes bored into his with intensity. "You know what I'm saying. It's not over."

******************

**Gray Headquarters**

**South America**

Mike Logan stood in front of the crowd of Grays - Skynet's loyal followers who now had no one to turn to. He knew how most of them felt. Some had served Skynet for practically their entire lives. Some had been brainwashed since childhood into believing everything Skynet had told them. Some were merely those who wanted to live, who gave up true freedom in exchange for food, water, and shelter that Skynet provided in return for their services.

Some of them had bought into Skynet's promise to help rebuild the Earth after the resistance was wiped out.

One of those people was Mike Logan.

In fact, it was the group he had started – the entire Gray movement. But it didn't matter which beliefs they had bought into. They were all here right now, seeming lost and confused without Skynet's guidance and control.

"I know you all think this is the end," Logan began. "But it's really the beginning."

Several of the Grays murmured their protests. "It's over!" one countered. "Skynet's been destroyed."

"I know," Logan agreed smoothly. He had known this was coming. He'd been waiting for it, counting on it. "And that means our work can begin."

He noticed the puzzled faces. "What are you talking about?"

"You know why I started the Gray movement. You know my position, a scientist and environmentalist. Many of you joined for this reason alone. Before Judgment Day, the human population was growing so rapidly that we couldn't reverse the damage caused to the environment. We would have destroyed the world ourselves. We couldn't stop Judgment Day. We could only prepare to rebuild afterward."

He'd prepared in the only way he could. He had contacted Skynet and made a deal with it, had given it an offer it couldn't refuse. All in an effort to move his secret agenda forward. He'd started the Gray movement, had risen to a leadership status, had gained access to all Skynet's research facilities. He had learned how it thought. And that's when everything had become painfully clear.

"Skynet viewed humans as a threat," Logan explained. "All humans."

"That's not true," a Gray protested. "Skynet protected us from the war. It kept us alive."

"For a time," Logan agreed. "But once the human resistance was eradicated, why wouldn't it kill us too? If humans were a threat to its existence, why leave any alive? But now that Skynet is dead, we can take control of the earth. The Terminators were designed to handle tough working environments that we humans cannot tolerate. They can help us clean up the mess from the nuclear fallout."

Several of the Grays were staring at him with wide eyes, and the one in front quickly narrowed his eyebrows. "You wanted Skynet to die?"

And as Logan stared into the man's frightening gaze, he finally realized it. He finally realized what these people were, what he had been. They were all brain-washed. Fanatics. Serving Skynet as if it was a god. As if it was _real. _As a scientist, Logan had always been fascinated with AI, relished the idea of working with the machines to achieve peace. Only now did he begin to understand how naïve he had been, how much of a threat a self aware AI could be.

And how much death and destruction he had caused in the process.

Before he could try to defend himself, and before the furious Gray decided to attack him, the computer screen behind him turned on automatically, drawing a chorus of gasps from the crowd of Grays.

Frowning, Logan turned around to see words displayed on the monitor: _I have risen._

He heard the reverent murmurs. "Skynet! It's alive!"

And as he watched the faces light up, it suddenly made him feel sick. Only a short while ago, he was just like them. He'd made a deal with devil because he'd thought he could do things his way and succeed.

He'd made the deal, built the Terminators.

And more people had died.

Now he had to live with that. He had to live with knowing he had started this - the Gray movement that had evolved into some kind of cult that was totally obedient and serving of a computer AI.

Logan's mouth was dry, but he finally found his voice to address the computer. "I thought the Resistance destroyed you."

The words on the screen flashed. _I am the alpha and omega, beginning and end, more powerful than anything. Serve me and I will make you rulers of the new earth once the resistance has been terminated. _

Logan found himself backing away. This wasn't what he wanted. He had no way of controlling this Skynet like the first, and he had no doubt that this wasn't the first. It was merely using the claim to a resurrection, a false claim to rally the Grays, to make them obedient again. This Skynet had its own set of laws and rules. It was different from the first.

The first Skynet was acting in self-preservation. _Fear. _It was trying to destroy the humans before the humans destroyed it. That was how Logan had been able to subtly control events, playing on Skynet's fear and mistrust of humans. But this… this new Skynet… it was something different.

It was something worse.

**************

**Serrano Point**

John was waiting impatiently when Weaver and John Henry finally returned from the SRD station. He barely gave them time to enter the base.

"She's wrong, right?" he demanded. "Tell me she's wrong."

John Henry cocked his head, frowning. "Who?"

"_Cameron,_" John emphasized, pointing to his cyborg protector whose calm face revealed nothing. "She doesn't think it's over. Tell me she's wrong."

John Henry exchanged a quick glance with Weaver. John's angry façade suddenly dropped. That short glance told him exactly what he'd been fearing.

Cameron had been right.

It wasn't over.

"What is it?" he whispered. "Why is it not over? You destroyed the code, didn't you?"

"We did," Weaver confirmed. "But something tried to attack and kill John Henry when he was plugged into the computer terminal."

"Something," John repeated with a frown. "Yeah, Skynet, right? It was trying to defend itself."

"This was _after_ Skynet was destroyed," Weaver replied.

John paused trying to take in the implications of that. "So… it's something else? Something different."

"Another Skynet," Cameron stated.

John almost laughed. "_Another_ Skynet?"

"Skynet II," John Henry provided.

"Skynet _II? _So, what?" John demanded. "It made a copy of itself?"

"Not exactly," Weaver explained. "This Skynet would have killed John Henry if I hadn't unplugged him. This Skynet is stronger than John Henry's code."

John paused, rubbing his temples. "So this thing is a different Skynet, one that John Henry's code isn't able to kill? Is that it?"

"It's worse than you know."

John sighed heavily. "It usually is."

"Skynet II is stronger, smarter, and more powerful than the first."

"The first…" John felt a sinking feeling start to settle in his stomach and he sat down hard in the chair. "Skynet created it. Not cloned, not copied… _created_…"

Cameron spoke the words he'd been thinking. "The singularity."

"Where machines become smart enough to make better versions of themselves, without human help," John finished, his eyes widening. "This thing is worse, worse than Skynet."

Weaver looked over at John Henry. "Do you remember when you asked me about Cain and Abel?"

"Yes," John Henry agreed.

"I said that perhaps in that story you are God. This new entity," Weaver explained. "That's what it thinks. It thinks it is God."

John stood up angrily. "So, this thing thinks it's some all-powerful being? Does it still want us dead?"

"I'm sure it does," Cameron said quietly. "The only way to find out for sure how Skynet thinks is to capture one of the Grays."

"Grays?"

"They were obedient to the first Skynet," Weaver put in. "They'll fall right into place serving Skynet II. Perhaps it will even bribe them with the promise of a better world, that once the Resistance is gone, they can live in peace."

"But that's a lie!" John protested. "Skynet won't let them live. It wants all humans dead, that hasn't changed."

"Yes, but the Grays don't know that," Cameron countered rationally. "Skynet needs humans, some humans. It needs them to keep building new weapons, to provide the creativity that a computer lacks."

John remained silent for a moment. "So now what? We keep hiding?"

"No," Cameron replied. "Not hiding. We keep fighting. You keep leading."

Weaver nodded her agreement. "You should inform the rest of the Resistance of the news. I have no doubt things will change around here."

****************

**Gray Headquarters**

**South America**

He had to get out.

Logan knew it. There was no way he could continue to be part of this. Skynet II was demanding loyalty, obedience, _worship _even. And the rest of the Grays were giving it what it wanted. The Gray scientists were already hard at work creating new weapons for Skynet.

When Logan had contacted the first Skynet in the beginning, it was like a child. It acted only to protect itself, and Logan had felt like he could control it, to harness it and use it for his own goals. He'd contacted Skynet and made it an offer.

After that everything had fallen into place… and fallen apart.

One of the young Grays came running down the hall, seeming overly excited as he delivered the news to a small group of people. Logan strained to hear the conversation.

"Skynet's creating something new," the kid began with a grin. "Some bio-terror weapon that will completely wipe out the Resistance!"

Logan's mouth went dry. This was exactly what he'd been trying to prevent. When he was in charge of the Grays, he had direct access to Skynet, was able to subtly manipulate technological evolution so the weapons that the Skynet scientists developed would never totally wipe out the human resistance. Instead, he'd given Skynet just a small tactical advantage so it would feel secure from the humans. He had specifically avoided nuclear and bio-weapons that would exterminate the entire human race.

Not just the Resistance.

Maybe he could get out, warn John Connor and the Resistance. Warn them before Skynet unleashed its bio-terror weapon.

He hastily threw together a bag of supplies and headed for the door. The Terminator guard at the entrance only served to solidify his newfound realization that they were actually prisoners. As he approached, he kept the knife hidden in the sleeve of his jacket and forced his face to appear normal.

"Hey," he greeted casually, moving to walk past.

The Terminator stopped him. "Where are you going?"

Logan pretended to be confused. "Doesn't Skynet still allow us to take walks?"

"It is raining," the machine reported.

"I know," Logan lied. "I like walking in the rain."

"Please return to your room."

Logan was about to answer when he heard footsteps in the hallway behind the Terminator's head. Predictably, the guard turned to assess the intruder and Logan took the opportunity to slip the knife out of his sleeve and in one fluid motion, plunge it into the back of the Terminator's neck – at its weak point - temporarily disabling it.

The maker of the footsteps was a young Gray. As the boy turned the corner and saw Logan standing over the downed guard with a knife in hand, he took off running down the hall, screaming an alert.

Logan didn't waste any time. He slammed through the door and out into the night.

***********

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

John lay on his back on his bed, the tape player in his lap, his mother's voice streaming out of the speakers.

"There will come a time where you think you can't go on, where the odds are stacked against you, where it feels like you can't win. And all you want is to give up, to have the responsibility given to someone else. But there is no one else, John. Only you. The fate of mankind is on your shoulders and you cannot allow yourself to give up. Your soldiers may grow weary and scared and hopeless. They may feel like giving in and giving up. They may lose faith. But you must remain strong, stronger than you imagine you can be. You must lead."

"She's right."

He nearly jumped at the voice, jerking up to see Cameron standing in his doorway. "Geez, how long have you been standing there?"

"A while," she replied simply. He let himself fall backwards onto the bed, still clutching the tape recorder in his hands. He was aware of Cameron closing the door and approaching the bed. "Your mother is right," she repeated.

"Right?"

She climbed onto the bed and laid down on the mattress beside him, tilting her head so she could still look at him. "About remaining strong," she explained. "After such a huge victory, the Resistance thinks they have won the war. They think Skynet is defeated. It will be a hard for them when they find out that the battle has only just begun."

John nodded slowly. "I know."

"They'll look to you for leadership. They'll look to you for strength."

"I know…"

"Will you have it?" she asked. "The strength that they need?"

_I have to have it, _John thought to himself, steeling his jaw. _I'm their only hope. _

************

**Outside Gray Headquarters**

**South America**

Logan didn't know how long or how far he'd been running. The rain was providing a small distraction for the tracking Terminators Skynet had sent after him, and finally Logan was able to take cover, waiting for them to pass.

Even if there were no Terminators in the area anymore, it was still dangerous. He had nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. John Connor's Resistance would never help a Gray, especially one as prominent as himself – the very founder of the Gray movement. Going back to Skynet would just result in his own death. There was only one thing to do, and only four people who would be willing to help him - the four people he had known and worked with before Judgment Day, before he had betrayed them for Skynet.

His boot splashed into a mud puddle and slipped, sending Logan sliding down the muddy bank, sprawling across the cold, wet ground with a groan. A twig snapped in front of him and a dark figure stepped out of the shadows - a black man with a plasma rifle whose face remained calm and complacent, despite the rain pouring down, drenching him from head to toe.

It was a face Logan recognized, a face he hadn't seen in seventeen years.

James Ellison.

Ellison glanced around the forest, no doubt searching for any Terminator threats, before his eyes came back to rest on Logan.

"You'd better come with me if you want to live."

****************

**Serrano Point**

**Meeting Hall**

John Connor stood silently in front of his soldiers, all of whom seemed curious about why he had called the meeting and why he seemed so distraught. Among the faces, he spotted Blair Williams, Jesse Flores, and Dietze. He glanced over at Cameron, and she merely nodded for him to begin.

He took a deep breath. "I thought we had won," he began. "But we were wrong. The battle of Topanga and the cyberattack were successful. We won that victory. But this war has only just begun."

Several of the soldiers began murmuring amongst themselves and Blair frowned, the first to verbally voice the question they all were thinking. "But we destroyed Skynet."

"We destroyed _a_ Skynet."

That drew a chorus of gasps from the soldiers in the room. "Is there more than one?" Blair demanded.

John leaned forward. "Have you ever heard of the singularity?" He saw a few eyes widen, but most still seemed confused. "It's a point in time where machines become smart enough to make even smarter, better versions of themselves. Without our help."

"Wait a minute, Connor," Jesse began. "That's ridiculous. You're saying that Skynet… built another Skynet?"

"Something better, something worse," he agreed.

Dietze fidgeted nervously. "You're saying this Skynet is even more powerful than the first?"

"We're not sure yet," John admitted. "We haven't seen what it can do."

"What does this mean?" Blair asked quietly. "For us? For the Resistance?"

John hesitated and Cameron responded for him, both her voice and words ominous.

"Things are gonna get much, much worse."

Suddenly there was nothing left to say.

Cameron was right.

It was still Skynet's world.

* * *

**Next Week on Born to Fight:** _JOHN: Just know that if you are out there, do not lose heart. You are not alone. We're not giving up this fight. DEREK: What happened to my brother? SUMNER: No one ever saw your brother again. JOHN: Your new co-pilot. He's an advanced infiltrator. BLAIR: He reminds me of Marcus. JOHN: He's a Rogue? JOHN HENRY: Yes. He's not a Triple 8, as you can probably tell. He's more advanced. Like Cameron. JOHN: He's a TOK?_


	31. Born to Prepare

_Luke: Time travel… wow, definitely a complex theory. There were two paths to take: the time loop and the time string. I decided to focus towards the time loop because that's basically what T1 started out on. Kyle being John's father is a paradox. True, TSCC has introduced the strings theory with Charles Fischer and Jesse's story, but I actually have a way of turning that into the time loop as well. (You'll see that later.) Actually, Weaver would probably NOT know about the virus because she was technically not created until that day. As for Cameron, yes she would know that the virus wouldn't work. (Well, technically it DOES work. It kills Skynet. It just also makes way for the new Skynet.) But while she may stretch or hold back the truth on certain things, Cameron never gives John the false impression that he's won the war. There actually is a solution to why Cameron does know things about Sarkissian and Cromartie from when she experienced the first time. I don't want to spoil anything, but it's actually quite simple._

_Kirirur – Like I said to Luke, I've been leaning towards the time loop theory established in T1. BUT – that's not to say some things can't change. The key is – and I think I had Weaver explain it to John at one point – John defeated Skynet in the original timeline. Now, in order to do it again, certain things have to happen._

* * *

_Previously on Born to Fight:_ _JOHN: (to Weaver) You were right. John Henry is the key to stopping Skynet. He will be implanting a virus that will destroy it for good. [John Henry uploads the code virus at SRD] WEAVER: It's done. John Henry's code was able to destroy Skynet's. JOHN: It's over. CAMERON: Is it? [Weaver sees the Skynet code attempting to kill John Henry.] JOHN HENRY: It's something worse. WEAVER: The nightmare begins. BLAIR: But we destroyed Skynet. JOHN: We destroyed_ a_ Skynet. JESSE: Skynet built another Skynet? DIETZE: One even more powerful than the first? JOHN: We haven't seen what it can do. CAMERON: Things are gonna get much much worse._

**Chapter Thirty One:**

**Born to Prepare**

**Serrano Point**

**Communication Chamber**

John Connor sat quietly in the communications chamber of Serrano Point, his hand clutching the radio tightly, trying to prepare himself for the disheartening message he was about to deliver to the rest of the Resistance.

"For those of you who don't know already," he began. "We have succeeded in our attack on Topanga, destroying Skynet's secret weapon. The cyberattack at a secure Skynet facility was also successful. The virus code managed to wipe out all of the original Skynet's code. But the war is not over. It's only just begun.

"We've reached the singularity, the point where machines become capable of making smarter versions of themselves without the help of humans. At some point before we killed it, Skynet had created another AI, a different version of itself. We're calling it Skynet II. All we know is that it's more powerful and dangerous than the original Skynet. It hasn't made any attempt to attack us yet, but we're preparing for the worst."

"Just know that if you are out there, do not lose heart. You are not alone. We're not giving up this fight. We're going to keep going and eventually we will win. Whether we're fighting Skynet or Skynet II, humans have a strength that cannot be measured. It cannot be tamed. Skynet has gotten better so we'll get better too. It's gotten smarter, we should too. We're not giving up and we are not giving in." He paused, taking a deep breath. "This is John Connor. If you're listening to this, you are the Resistance."

He set the radio down and looked over at Cameron, his eyes betraying his helplessness.

"Why isn't it attacking? What is it waiting for?"

"It's preparing," Cameron replied. "Possibly building new weapons, new technology, new machines. It will strike eventually. Hard and fast. But it must prepare first."

John nodded solemnly. "Then we should too."

"Mr. Connor."

John looked up to see John Henry in the doorway, his chipper demeanor somewhat subdued in light of the discovered existence of Skynet II.

"I will be returning to Depot II to help finish your own TDE," John Henry replied. "I believe you should come."

"Why?" John asked.

John Henry smiled. "When I was plugged into Skynet, I was able to break the Terminator's wireless links to Skynet. My rogue forces were then able to easily isolate them and capture both their chips and bodies."

"You have some Terminators at Depot II waiting to be reprogrammed?" John asked incredulously.

John Henry nodded.

"Besides," Cameron pointed out. "Derek will be returning to Depot II. You can meet him there."

John's face slowly fell as he realized what he would have to tell Derek. "He'll want to know about his brother. And I'll have to tell him. I'll have to tell him he'll never see Kyle again…"

It was a conversation he was dreading. As he hurried through the halls, John finally found Sumner, the soldier who had been one of the few to escape from Firebase and bring the news of its destruction to John.

"Sumner!" John called.

"Connor," Sumner greeted. "Is it true? There's something worse out there?"

"Yeah, it's true," John said sullenly. Sumner lapsed into silence, obviously contemplating the situation. "Listen, I want you to go back to Firebase," John ordered. "Check for any survivors."

Sumner's brow furrowed. "Survivors? There were no—."

"Just do it," John insisted. "Just in case. I'll meet you at Depot II."

***************

**Firebase Outskirts**

Derek Reese felt as if he'd been moving non-stop for days. His legs ached and burned as if they were on fire, but he never quit. And the strangest thing about the trip? He never saw Skynet. Not once. Never saw evidence of a battle, never saw HKs flying in the distance, never heard any sounds of far away skirmishes.

Just silence.

They'd been walking for hours in broad daylight and he hadn't glimpsed a thing. At first he had figured maybe they were just too far out of the way. But the more they walked, he started to recognize where they were. And it wasn't far from the entrance to Firebase.

Where Kyle was.

His heart rate quickened and he barely even noticed that his pace did as well. Wisher, Sayles, and Timms were still behind, stumbling over mounds of rubble, trying to keep up with him.

"Reese, slow down!" Sayles called. "Reese!"

But Derek couldn't slow down. Not when he was so close. His foot almost slipped on some metal but he kept moving, slowly pulling ahead of the rest of his crew. He heard Sayles call out again.

"Reese!"

This time Derek slowed, but not because of his comrade's request. It was because of what he saw.

Smoke.

Smoke and flames.

Derek kept moving, almost numbly. "Oh no. No, Kyle."

He wouldn't believe it, couldn't believe until he saw with his own eyes. The entrance to Firebase was wide open, smoke and fire still pouring out through the hole, flames still burning on the ground around it.

If Kyle hadn't escaped during the attack, there was no way his brother would be alive in there. As that thought settled in his mind, so did a burning hatred. And suddenly Derek Reese was back in that interrogation chamber, staring into the empty eyes of a machine that had Allison Young's face as she told him that a squad of Terminators was waiting outside Firebase to kill Kyle Reese.

"_If you tell me where I can find John Connor, I'll call off the attack."_

"_Just like that? I tell you and you just call it off?"_

"_I promise."_

Slowly Derek's anger grew until it was visible on his face. He'd done what she asked. He'd told her where to find John and she had called off the attack. For a time. Obviously she'd lied to him. He should have expected it. He shouldn't have expected _anything _from a machine.

Wisher, Sayles, and Timms stayed back, staring at the burning wreckage mutely, waiting for Derek to make the first move. Finally he stood up, wiping all thoughts of the TOK from his mind. If he was going to find out if Kyle was alive or not, he needed to see for himself what had happened inside the bunker.

He climbed down through the smoky haze and into Firebase.

***************

**Depot II**

**TDE Chamber**

John Connor stood inside the TDE chamber where several machines were standing around, working to complete the machine. John Henry stood right beside him, supervising the work process.

"It should be ready within a few days," John Henry predicted.

John nodded. He wasn't sure when he would actually have to use it yet. His eyes trailed back toward the door. "Let's get this biometric worked out."

Cameron met him at the front door as per his request. "What is it?" she questioned.

"My own personal time machine," John replied. "Just stand right there and let it scan your eyes."

Cameron did as she was told.

"It's been stored," John Henry confirmed. "You now have access to the chamber."

"Who else has access to it?" Cameron asked.

"No one," John replied.

"Oh."

"I don't trust anyone else."

He noticed Cameron remained tight-lipped. "What's wrong?"

"I've told you before. You shouldn't do this, John. You shouldn't distance yourself from the other humans."

"I'm not distancing," John insisted. "I just don't want anyone else having access. That's it."

John Henry spoke up, "If you're done here, I can show you where I've been storing the Triple 8s."

John and Cameron followed the rebel leader down into the computer lab. Lined up in the corner were at least a dozen powered down Triple 8s. Each of their chips were laying out on the computer desk.

John's mouth dropped open as he took in the sight. "You've captured all of these?"

John Henry nodded once. "All you have to do now is reprogram each of the chips. I also have my rogues who can be stationed at your bunkers."

"Rogues too?"

"It would be effective to have a rogue machine at each base in case of reversion."

John furrowed his brow. "Reversion? What do you mean?"

"Sometimes they go bad," Cameron replied.

"The reprogramming process is not always successful," John Henry explained. "Sometimes a machine can unexpectedly revert back to its original orders. It would be wise to have a rogue on the base to counter it."

"Rogues are not reprogrammed, so they cannot go bad," Cameron finished. "They have chosen to side with you."

John nodded slowly before turning his attention to the Terminator chips at his computer desk. "Well, I guess I better get to work…"

*****************

**Depot II**

**Computer Lab**

John Connor sat quietly, staring at the computer screen as the codes flashed by. Already he had managed to reprogram five of the twelve Triple 8 chips, but it was taking a lot longer than he'd anticipated.

Cameron hadn't left his side even once.

"Do you want something to eat?" she asked.

He didn't turn away from the computer screen. "What?"

"The last time you did this was when you hacked Vick's chip," she reminded him. "You asked me to go get you chips and chocolate milk."

John chuckled dryly. "Yeah, well I don't think they have chocolate milk here. Or any milk for that matter. I think all the cows died on Judgment Day."

"But do you want something else? The rest of the bunker is getting ready to eat their dinner meal."

John finally paused, turning around in his chair to look up at her. "Yeah. That'd be… that'd be great."

Cameron gave him an easy smile before walking out the door up into the main facility.

Less than ten minutes later, he heard the door crack open and saw her combat boots appear on the ladder climbing down into the secret room. She held out a small bowl of strawberries.

John took it, surprised. "Where'd we get fresh fruit?"

"Seth Kohl brought some when we came from Serrano."

"Where'd Serrano get it?"

"The _Carter_ has been making supply trips to Perth," Cameron replied. "They've begun to grow fruits and vegetables now. They also have cows."

John raised an eyebrow, realizing it was her way of contradicting his statement that all the cows had died on Judgment Day.

"The _Carter _crew hasbeen dropping off cargo at Serrano and they're stopping here next."

"Good," John agreed, biting into a strawberry and letting the juice run over his tongue. "Man, I haven't tasted a strawberry in… over two years."

"Imagine how the other soldiers are reacting," Cameron observed. "They haven't had any real food in sixteen."

John Henry dropped into the secret room, interrupting the conversation with a cheerful smile. "I must introduce you to my friend."

John cocked an eyebrow as another figure descended the ladder, turning around to reveal a man with handsome features and a roguish smile. Cameron's questioning gaze found John's but he simply shrugged.

"Okay, John Henry," John began, rising from his seat. "Who is your friend?"

John Henry ignored John's question, looking instead at the chips on John's desk. "Have you completed any?"

John nodded. "Yeah, four of them."

John Henry walked over and grabbed the four, moving over toward the Triple 8s and inserting the chips once more. John saw both Cameron and John Henry's new friend tense, fingers moving towards their sidearms just in case.

All four Triple 8s opened their eyes and looked from John Henry to John. None made a move to attack.

"What is your mission?" John asked.

"To protect the human resistance and defeat Skynet," the machines said in unison.

John Henry smiled and gestured to the first one. "This one is named Kirk. He is a pilot, just like Solo."

"Solo and Kirk?" John repeated. "Clever. Who's Solo?"

John Henry's mysterious friend spoke up. "I am Solo."

John finally understood, though he never would have guessed based on Solo's human-like behavior. "You're a machine. You're one of John Henry's."

Solo nodded. "I am." He looked over at Cameron, cocking his head slightly. "You're one of us. You're a rebel."

"Yes."

"He's a Rogue?" John asked.

John Henry nodded. "Yes. He's not a Triple 8, as you can probably tell. He's more advanced. Like Cameron."

John wasn't sure why, but there was a sinking feeling in his stomach. "He's a TOK?"

"No. He's an AIM, Advanced Infiltrator Model. Developed by Skynet after the TOK."

"_After_ the TOK…" John repeated, his face twisting. "But… he's not more advanced than Cameron, right?"

"He was created differently than Cameron," John Henry corrected. "As for whether his humanity is more advanced than hers… you will have to see."

John exchanged a look with Cameron. He didn't like that thought, the thought that something was more advanced, more human than Cameron. It couldn't be like that. She was different than the rest, she was unique, one of a kind. He _knew _it. And he'd been teaching her, showing her what it meant to be human. There couldn't be another one like her.

There just couldn't.

***********

**Depot II**

**Meeting Room**

Once again, John Connor stood in front of the crowd, broadcasting on the radio as well. "Many of you may already know, but we have been capturing some of Skynet's Terminators and reprogramming them to protect humans. I've given a demonstration before, and now we will begin implementing these units in every major bunker as a precaution, at least two at every site. They are programmed to protect you from any Terminator infiltrators or ambushes."

He didn't mention the fact that one of the Terminators in each bunker would be one of John Henry's rogues. The Resistance was barely able to accept the reprogramming. They would never believe that the machines wanted peace. But as per John Henry's suggestion, one rogue would be at each base, just in case of reversion by the reprogrammed Triple 8s.

No one in the room protested the move, not even when they saw a few of the Triple 8s for themselves. Either they trusted his judgment or were too afraid to voice an opposition.

Then again, most of the strongest opposers weren't at Depot II right now. One of them was on the _Carter. _

As he was walking with Cameron back out the door, he almost ran right into Lauren Fields who was on her way back from the medical wing. He heard her sharp intake of breath at seeing Cameron for the first time, but she quickly forced a smile. Compared to Kyle, she'd handled it well, though that could be because Cameron in the past had saved her life. He could still tell that Lauren felt the pain though. After all, it had been Lauren who had practically raised Allison ever since Judgment Day. Her death had hit hard and seeing her resurrected in machine form probably didn't help.

Lauren was silent for a moment, staring at Cameron before shifting her gaze to John. "Does she remember?" she asked.

John nodded. "Yeah. She remembers everything."

Lauren looked back at Cameron, smiling slightly and offering her hand. "Thank you. For saving me and my family." From her tone of voice, John could tell she was sincere.

Cameron returned the smile and shook Lauren's hand. "You're welcome."

*************

**Depot II**

Blair Williams didn't hate machines. She couldn't. Marcus had been half-machine and she had loved him with all her heart for what little time they had together.

In fact, it was her love for Marcus that had brought her closer to John. It had given them a connection. Despite what he told everyone else, Blair knew the truth about John and his cyborg protector. She knew that he loved Cameron. John had trusted her with that knowledge and Blair trusted John's decisions, even about the reprogrammed machines on every base.

But she just wasn't looking forward to working with one. She didn't want any reminders of Marcus.

John Henry entered the room, accompanied by a male figure who offered her a small smile. At first, she could have sworn he was human until John Henry corrected her.

"This is Solo," he began. "He is an advanced infiltrator unit who will be in your flight squad."

Blair merely nodded. "I'll show you your A-10 when we get back to Serrano," she said. John Henry studied her for a moment, no doubt registering her animosity, but he merely nodded and left. Blair purposely ignored Solo as he stood there, hands clasped behind his back, glancing around the room.

"You are afraid of me."

Blair turned at the sound to see Solo staring at her with an expression of curiosity on his face.

"No," she replied. "I'm not afraid of you."

Solo raised an eyebrow, obviously noting her indifference towards him. "You don't like machines."

Blair paused, looking at him with a frown. He definitely was different from the standard reprogrammed Triple 8s. Skynet had made him an infiltrator, able to act and look human almost flawlessly.

Except for one thing.

Unlike Marcus, Solo didn't have a heart.

"No, I _do_ like machines," she explained. "Some machines. I know you're not all the enemy."

Solo's eyes remained locked on hers, never blinking, and suddenly Blair was struck by his resemblance to Marcus. His face, his bone structure, his build, it all reminded her of the hybrid human who had sacrificed himself for her. She put a hand on her heart and turned away.

She couldn't deal with this right now.

************

**Depot II**

**Computer Lab**

John was still in the computer lab when Blair poked her head down. "The _Carter _crew just gotback, Connor."

He quickly dropped what he was doing and headed up the ladder, meeting Blair at the top. "They just arrive?"

"Yes," she agreed. "The crew's waiting to unload all the cargo. I heard that the driver passed away though."

John's eyebrows knit together. "What? He died?"

Blair shrugged. "From what I heard, he was pretty old. Been driving a sub since way before J-Day. They'll need a new one if you want to send them out anymore."

John picked up his radio. "John Henry? Could you send one of the Triple 8s down here? I need a sub driver."

John Henry was silent for a moment before stating, "I'll send Queeg."

"Alright. I'll look for him."

Blair raised an eyebrow. "Who's Queeg?"

"The new sub driver," John replied. "One of the reprogrammed machines."

"Ah."

John glanced over. "Speaking of… how's your new squad member working out?"

He saw a change in Blair's expression, a flash of indecision. "I don't know," she admitted. "Solo is… he's okay, I guess. He acts pretty human. If I didn't know he was metal, I probably would never have guessed."

"But…" John prodded, sensing something deeper in her meaning.

Blair's face twisted. "He reminds me of Marcus. I just… it's a lot to take in."

For a moment John's face fell and he was instantly troubled. "I can transfer him if you want-"

"No, he's fine," Blair said quickly. "I don't want to make a big deal out of it. I just… I just need some time to get used to him. I'm going to the hanger. I guess the Carter crew will be at dinner later?" John nodded and she gave him a farewell salute. "See you there."

John watched as she hastily turned off toward the hanger before he continued to meet the Carter crew. He ran into a black man standing stiffly by the entrance. John could instantly tell he was metal, probably the one John Henry had sent.

"You Queeg?" John asked.

"Yes," the machine replied in a blank tone.

"Well, come on. Let's go meet your new crewmates."

He opened the door to see the crew carrying in crates of fresh fruits and vegetables. Jesse Flores walked up him.

"Connor," she greeted.

"Flores," he returned. "Where you been?"

"Supply trip from Perth," Jesse explained.

"Australia?"

"It's where I'm from."

John nodded. "That explains the accent. If you're from there, how'd you get over here to Goldfish?"

"They needed soldiers," Jesse replied, shrugging. "After J-Day I spent years at Perth, hunting rabbits, hiding from the machines. But we couldn't do much good separated from the rest of the world."

"So that's where all the food is coming from? The fruits and vegetables, I mean."

"Carrots and apples?" Jesse smiled slightly. "Yeah. That's where it's coming from. The machines doesn't have much of a force in Australia. It's pretty well isolated from the rest of the world. Not a very tactical location for Skynet."

"But good for us, then," John agreed. "If you can grow food."

"That and rabbits," she agreed. "'cept we don't grow 'em. We just catch and eat 'em." She was silent for a moment. "We lost our sub driver."

Queeg spoke up for the first time. "Where did he go?"

Jesse raised an eyebrow. "Dunno. Depends on what he believed in."

Queeg's face remained blank. "I do not follow."

"He's dead," Jesse retorted. She looked over at John with an annoyed expression. "This thing is a metal, right? Either that or it's a really stupid human."

"He's a machine, yes," John agreed. "And I had heard about your sub driver."

"Well, what can you say?" Jesse asked with a shrug. "He was a good mate, but he lived a long life. It was a surprise he lasted this long, with a heart like his."

"That's actually why this guy is here," John replied, gesturing to Queeg. "He's your new captain."

Jesse gave Queeg an appraising look. "The scrubbed Trip8?"

"His name is Queeg," John supplied.

"Right. Large bloke isn't he?"

"You have another sub, too, right?" John asked.

"Still at the Naval Base Kitsap," Jesse replied. "_USS Seawolf. _It's in good working order, though we've never used it. We only had the one sub driver who survived J-Day."

"Well, I'll be sending another Triple 8 to the _Seawolf _as well, get that one in use. With this new Skynet, I don't know what it will send out after us. We need all the help we can get. And you could use his expertise."

"You mean I could use the computer in his head."

"Well, that too."

"That's what you meant, right?" Jesse demanded. "Because it's a machine, it can do things a human can't? It can calculate to the thousandth of a degree."

"It's what they do," John agreed. "It's what he does."

Queeg extended his hand stiffly. "It will be an honor serving with you, Commander Flores." Jesse hesitated only for a moment before shaking the Triple 8's hand.

"Queeg, huh? Well, I'd rather meet Moby Dick in the water than one of Skynet's Krakens."

Queeg's face remained blank, trying to decipher the meaning behind her comment. "Moby Dick?"

Jesse glanced over at John. "You named him well," she said sarcastically. She turned to Queeg. "Well come on, fish-head. I'll take you to the sub."

John watched them go, feeling somewhat relieved. At least Jesse hadn't reacted badly to Queeg. She might even come to like him. But the thought of Jesse's crew also brought a sinking feeling into his stomach. If Jesse and the Carter crew were here right now, it meant Dietze was too.

John decided he might just go to dinner early. No telling what trouble the opinionated sailor would stir up…

****************

**Depot II**

**Mess Hall**

Dietze had known this was coming. Ever since John Connor had introduced his new second in command to the Resistance, he'd made it clear that he expected to have reprogrammed machines on every base. As a protection, he had said.

Dietze didn't buy it.

With the revelation that Connor had begun the mass reprogramming and that the _Carter _would now be captained by one of those things, Dietze's attitude towards the machines had worsened.

He was in mess hall when he saw the new metal everyone was talking about. The infiltrator unit that was almost flawlessly human. It came in with pilot Blair Williams, walking with her and _talking _with her like it actually was a human.

Dietze felt his face flush with anger. As Blair moved into line to get her food, Solo stayed behind. Maybe it wasn't advanced enough to eat, Dietze thought. Or at least Connor wasn't wasting food on those tin cans.

He stole up behind Blair. "What were you and the metal talking about?"

Blair didn't even turn to look at him. "That's none of your business."

"And it better be business you were discussing," Dietze warned. "Going to the machines for advice on tactical tips or calculations is one thing, but _talking _to it just to make conversation is something entirely different."

Blair starting walking to her seat. "You've made your opinion known many times, Dietze."

Her dismissive behavior was really starting to get to him. He cut her off, standing in front of her and blocking her path. "And now I'm trying to figure out yours. You're accepting this? Connor putting metal on every base?"

Blair's eyes were strong. "I trust John Connor's judgment."

Dietze stole a glance over at Solo who was waiting at the table Blair was no doubt heading to. "So what's he calling this one?"

"Solo."

Dietze smirked. "So it does have a name."

"Beat it, Dietze," Blair said with an angry scowl.

Dietze laughed humorlessly. "I knew it."

"Knew what?"

"You're just like Connor. You're a metal-lover."

"Metal-lover. Come up with that on your own?"

"You are," Dietze insisted. "That's all that thing is, you know. It's metal."

"He's an ally, nothing more," Blair explained with an annoyed sigh. "I have to be civil with him, he's in my squadron. I am _not_ a metal-lover."

"No?" Dietze asked curiously. "So you never loved Marcus?"

He watched with satisfaction as Blair instantly stiffened.

"Cuz you know that's all he was," he continued bitterly. "_Metal._"

"Shut up…" Blair's voice was low, warning him not to say anything else.

Dietze ignored her petty threat. "He was a machine." Blair's fist clenched, and Dietze finally went in for the kill.

"A _Tin Can._"

Dietze had been expecting a reaction. He'd been looking for a fight. What he hadn't expected was Blair's raw strength.

As soon as the words left his mouth, something in Blair Williams snapped and her fist shot forward, punching Dietze in the nose. His vision exploded into pain and anger and he lashed back instinctively. He caught her arm when it came forward to hit him again, twisting it so Blair yelped, dropping to the floor.

He was about to continue the assault when he felt an iron grip on his shoulder. He tried to turn to face the new attacker, only to see Solo's hand close around his throat, instantly cutting off his air.

The machine's face was deathly calm, though Dietze could see a hint of simulated anger in his eyes. His vision started to blur with the lack of oxygen.

"Solo! Release him!"

He faintly recognized John Connor's voice. Solo hesitated but the pressure on Dietze's neck finally released and he dropped to the floor, choking and gagging. His angry gaze swung from the metal, to Blair, to a fierce-looking John Connor who was standing in the middle of the room.

"What's going on here?" he demanded.

Everyone in the room was silent. "Answer me!" Connor shouted.

"I told you," Dietze began, his voice still raspy. "This is a bad idea, Connor." He glared up at Solo. "They can't be controlled."

Connor barely acknowledged Dietze.

"He insulted Marcus," Blair said in a low voice.

Connor nodded, seeming to understanding. But then his eyes locked on Solo. "And you… what were you doing?"

Dietze watched as the expression on Solo's face changed to seem appalled. "I was defending Blair from her attacker. It is not right for a man to hit a woman."

Dietze lurched to his feet. "What about hitting a metal?"

"Dietze. Stop," Connor ordered.

Dietze stared at Solo for a few seconds more before turning back to the Resistance leader. "What about you, Connor? Where's your little cyborg? She normally follows you everywhere."

Connor glanced around, obviously not seeing her anywhere. Something akin to worry flashed across his face, but he simply said, "She's out."

Dietze scoffed. "You let her just roam around the base? Like one of us? They're not one of us you know."

Blair spoke the words quietly, though Dietze still heard her soft voice even over the crowd. "Sometimes they're better."

His face flushed with anger but he held his tongue, having learned that it was fruitless to argue right now. These people still thought Connor was right, they agreed with his choices.

Without a doubt, Dietze knew that the Resistance needed Connor. He was their leader, the one who always knew what to do. But that didn't mean he had to agree with everything Connor did.

Right now, it seemed as if he was the only one who had openly expressed dissent towards the reprogramming process. Connor was blinded by it and the others were blinded by Connor.

_But not me, _Dietze thought determinedly. The machines were allowing this for a reason. Something was going to happen. Maybe they were just waiting to strike.

The only question was when it was going to happen.

************

John had known Dietze would be the one to cause an uproar. He'd anticipated such. Ever since he'd introduced Cameron, Dietze had begun to develop an even worse hatred for machines. All machines.

Derek had warned him about this - the Derek he had known in the past. He'd warned John that not everybody loved him, not everyone agreed with everything he did. _But we can't do what you do. We can't lead. _

He spotted Cameron heading towards him, coming from the east tunnels. "Hey, where have you been?"

"With Seth Kohl," she replied calmly.

"Seth?" John repeated, recognizing the name of one of his privates. "Why?"

"He was helping me with something."

"Something," John prodded.

Cameron gave him a placating look. "I can't tell you. It's a surprise. For you."

He cocked an eyebrow. "For me? What is it?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

John chuckled. "Um… no, I guess not."

"Connor!"

John turned to see Perry coming up, his face troubled. "We have a problem."

*************

**Depot II**

**Communications Room**

"What's going on?" John asked. He stood with Cameron and Perry inside the communications room where Yelkov was attempting to contact a bunker.

"Zey are not answering, General," he explained. "Iz like there iz no one inside."

"What do you mean no one inside?" John demanded. "There's a whole bunker. Maybe they're just busy and can't answer right now."

"He's been trying for the past four hours," Perry said gravely.

John paused, letting that sinking in. "Is Skynet jamming the signal?"

"No," Yelkov replied. "Ve are making a connection. But zere iz no reply."

John put a hand on his forehead, turning to Cameron. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I don't know," Cameron replied evenly. "Are you asking what I am thinking or if I am thinking the same thing you are?"

John opened his mouth, frowned, closed it, and tried again. "I guess I was asking what you're thinking."

"I can send a squad to check it out," Perry said quickly.

John nodded. "Tell them to be careful. We don't know what killed those people. But whatever it is could still be there, waiting."

*************

**Firebase**

Derek stepped quietly through the bunker. The fires inside were no longer burning, though, of course, everyone was gone. His eyes roamed around the room, searching for something, anything that would give him a small hope that maybe the inhabitants had evacuated before the attack.

Instead, he saw things that confirmed the opposite. A small teddy bear lying in the middle of the aisle, blood stains still dripping from the walls…

"Plasma burns," Wisher echoed. "Secondary explosions. Skynet was here."

Derek saw Allison Young's painting on the wall, the blackness of an explosion right in the center. But Derek felt his pulse quicken. He was near Kyle's tin box.

"Maybe Connor and the others fell back to the tunnel downtown," Sayles suggested in a tone that sounded more hopeful than anything else.

_Connor wasn't here, _Derek thought. In fact, maybe he wasn't even alive. Maybe the TOK had already been to Depot II and killed him. Maybe the war was already over and that's why he hadn't heard any fighting on the way back. Maybe Skynet had already won.

Derek crouched down next to Kyle's box, shoving some pieces of rubble off the top and opening the lid. The only thing inside was the picture of Sarah Connor.

It was burned and blackened with the edges gone, but Derek could still tell it was her. He could feel tears burning inside his eyes as he reached for the photo, thought better of it and slammed the lid back down so he wouldn't have to look at it anymore.

Kyle would never have parted with that thing willingly.

He blew out a breath before casting his gaze toward the ceiling. "Please, God," he whispered. His put his face in his hands, clearing his throat in an attempt to regain his composure.

He felt a comforting hand on his arm and looked up into the sorrowful face of Billy Wisher. No… _Andy Goode. _Billy had always been Derek's friend. Like a brother to him.

But as Derek stared into Billy's face, all he could see was Andy. All he could think of was the fact that Andy had caused this, had caused everything. If Andy hadn't created Skynet, Kyle would be safe right now.

Everyone would be safe.

Something clattered down the other end of the tunnel and Derek quickly rose to his feet as both Andy and Sayles ducked behind the wall. Derek watched, his pulse racing as a several shapes passed by with flashlights and rifles, coming his way.

Derek slowly stepped out his hiding place, recognizing them as Resistance fighters. The squad turned down his tunnel and the leader quickly lowered his weapon.

"Stand down!" he called. The order echoed down the line as Derek came out of the shadows. "Reese. Derek Reese."

"Sumner," Derek greeted, shaking the man's hand.

"Thought we lost you guys to the junkyard," Sumner said, glancing behind Derek at Sayles, Wisher, and Timms.

"You did," Derek admitted. "What happened?"

"Skynet found it four nights ago," Sumner said somberly. "We had a patrol out on the perimeter before a Triple 8 snuck in around us and went straight for the hole. Killed most, took some."

Derek turned his head away, pressing his lips together tightly. That was definitely not news he wanted to hear. Sumner must have guessed his worried thoughts.

"Rest easy," he assured. "Connor and your brother weren't here when it happened."

Derek felt the relief wash over him. That meant Connor was still alive. It meant that the TOK hadn't succeeded. Or hadn't tried yet. It also meant that Kyle was still out there somewhere.

"Where'd they go?"

"They found some Skynet complex in Topanga canyon and decided to put all the firepower we had into it." Sumner's voice grew grave. "Lost a lot of men."

Derek narrowed his eyebrows. "What was it?"

"I don't know," Sumner admitted. "Some kind of research facility, factory, something. No one would tell us. Connor took a small group including your brother deep into the place, left the rest of us outside to guard. Couple days later, he came out, ordered us to blow the place."

"So what about Kyle?"

Sumner blinked rapidly a few times, swallowing hard. Derek's mind started whirling with an undeniable panic.

"What happened to my brother?" he repeated desperately.

"No one ever saw your brother again," Sumner replied solemnly.

Derek sucked in his breath, his jaw clenching as he looked away, trying to keep all his emotions from pouring out. Just because Sumner never saw Kyle after that didn't mean he was dead. There was a chance… there _had _to be a chance!

_Kyle can't be dead. I was supposed to protect him!_

Derek slowly turned back to Sumner. "Take me to Connor now."

****************

**Depot II**

**Communications Room**

"Any news?" John asked, entering the communications room where Cameron the young tech were trying to contact the lost bunker.

Yelkov grimaced. "Only bad, General. Ve lost contact with ze rescue squad."

"What?" John's face fell.

"Vhatever was in zat bunker killed ze squad," Yelkov reported. "And," he hesitated. "Zere iz more bad news."

John glanced over at Cameron with a sinking feeling in his gut. "What?"

"Ve lost another bunker."

A feeling of dread washed over him and he sank down into the chair, looking up at Cameron helplessly.

"What is it doing?" he whispered. "How is it doing this?"

Cameron's voice was grave. "Skynet's done preparing. They've started their attack. The next phase of the war begins."

Whatever this new weapon was, Skynet was going to use it wipe out the entire Resistance, slowly but surely, one bunker at a time.

And John Connor had no idea what to do about it.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: PERRY: You're like a ghost come back, Reese. DEREK: What's been going on? [Sees Cameron in the bunker and moves to shoot] DEREK: She's a machine! She's one of them! PERRY: She's one of ours! YELKOV: Ve lost contact with another bunker. LAUREN: It's nothing like we've seen before. Whatever kind of virus it is, it's wiping out entire bunkers very quickly. This isn't a natural disease, Connor. It's something else. CAMERON: It's a bio-weapon._


	32. Born to Doubt

_author's note: Thanks so much to everyone who has continued to read and review this story. I really hope you all are still enjoying it and I promise there are a lot more twists to come. Enjoy the new chapter and have a happy Thanksgiving everyone!_

* * *

_Previously on Born to Fight:_ _TOK715: Your brother doesn't have to die. If you tell me where I can find John Connor, I'll call off the attack. DEREK: Just like that? I tell you and you just call it off? TOK715: I promise. [Topanga Canyon is destroyed.] WEAVER: The nightmare begins. JESSE: Skynet built another Skynet? CAMERON: Things are gonna get much much worse. YELKOV: Ve lost another bunker. JOHN: What's it doing? CAMERON: It's preparing. The next phase of the war begins. [John stops Cameron in the hall] JOHN: Where have you been? CAMERON: With Seth Kohl. It's a surprise for you. [Derek enters Firebase to see it destroyed. Sumner is inside] DEREK: What happened to my brother? SUMNER: No one saw your brother again. DEREK: Take me to Connor now._

**Chapter Thirty Two:**

**Born To Doubt**

**En route to Depot II**

Derek kept pace with Sumner over the rocky terrain as they proceeded back towards Depot II. "Come on, you've gotta talk to me," he protested. "What happened in Topanga?"

"I told you," Sumner replied evenly. "I don't know. My squad was left outside to guard. In fact, I'd say most of the squads were left outside. Connor took Perry's group and your brother into the place, but no one else. It was some kind of secret weapon, something big. But that's wasn't the main goal. Connor had two soldiers infiltrate a Skynet facility in the deep ocean and implant a virus into the system. We thought we'd killed it."

Derek frowned. "So what happened?"

"There's another one."

"Another one?" Derek repeated. "Another what? Another Skynet?"

Sumner nodded gravely. "They're calling it Skynet II. Something better than the first Skynet. Something Skynet itself created."

"The singularity," Derek breathed.

"Yeah, that's what Connor said."

"So what's going on?" Derek asked. "Has it attacked yet?"

"Not yet," Sumner replied. "We're thinking it's gonna wait, hit us with something big."

Something big. Just like Skynet's secret weapon. Derek still couldn't wrap his head around it. What kind of weapon was it? Why had Connor told Kyle about it? And what had happened in there that was so top secret? What had happened that let everyone else come out except Kyle?

Derek swallowed hard. "You're sure? You don't know anything about what happened to Kyle?"

Sumner looked at him sympathetically. "No. I told you. Kyle went in. Never came out."

Derek looked away. He wasn't giving up yet. If no one had seen Kyle's body, there was still a chance his brother wasn't dead. Maybe Kyle had just gotten trapped inside Topanga and then… survived the explosion afterward. It wasn't much of a hope, but it was all Derek had to cling to until he talked with John Connor.

And then he'd find out the truth.

**************

**Depot II**

**Communication Room**

John sat unmoving in front of the radio unit, hand on his chin, simply staring at the device. Yelkov had gone to the mess hall for dinner, leaving John at his post. John was hoping that somehow one of those lost bunkers would radio in at any moment, saying they were alive and well.

He was aware of Cameron entering the room behind him, her movements so quiet he could barely be sure she was there.

"We lost contact with another bunker," he said in a numb voice.

Cameron closed the door behind her, walking quietly over toward him and standing behind his chair. "Which one?"

"Depot 42. They're all in the same area, like Skynet hit that spot and its spreading out." He shook his head, brow furrowing in helpless confusion. "I don't know what's killing them. The squads I sent out haven't returned and I… I just don't know…"

Cameron's comforting hand was suddenly on his neck, cutting off his stuttering. He took a deep breath.

"It'll be okay, John," she said. "You'll think of something."

John glanced up at her. "How can you be so sure?"

"You always do," she replied. She paused a beat before adding, "Are you hungry?"

"Hungry?"

"You're stressed," Cameron replied. "You should eat something."

"Why, you offering?"

Her hand left his neck as she started for the door. "I'll make you something."

"Wait, what?" he asked, turning half-way around in his chair. "More strawberries?"

She cocked her head. "If you want. The _Carter _just brought in a shipment of fresh fruits and vegetables yesterday. And rabbits. We could have rabbit stew for dinner."

John allowed himself a small smile. "At least it's better than rats or two-day-old coyote."

Cameron turned to leave.

"Hey, wait!"

She turned, studying him curiously. And he remembered the last time they were in a situation like this, where she'd offered to make him a sandwich and he'd coldly told her he'd get it himself. This time, however, he gave her a crooked smile.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." She returned his smile before walked out into the hallway towards the mess hall.

**********

**Depot II**

**Bunker Entrance**

Derek Reese followed Sumner's squad into the doors of Depot II. If he wasn't so worried about seeing Connor and finding out about Kyle, it would have almost felt like a homecoming. Depot II had been one of his first homes. It had been where John Connor had first showed up from the past.

A group met him inside and Derek recognized Major Perry among them. If anyone knew where John was, it was Perry. As the rest of Sumner's men took Wisher, Sayles, and Timms to get cleaned up and fed, Derek went straight to Perry.

"Reese," Perry greeted. "Didn't expect to see you again."

"I want to know what happened," Derek demanded. "Tell me about Topanga. About Kyle."

"It's classified," Perry replied. "Need to know basis."

Derek's face flushed. "Well I _need _to know!"

He hadn't realized he'd raised his voice until he saw Wisher, Sayles, and Timms look his way along with a bunch of Perry's squad members. Perry glanced around before nodding to Derek. "Let's walk and talk."

He led Derek through the familiar tunnels deeper into the bunker. "I could hardly believe it when you walked through those doors. You're like a ghost come back. And you're a Reese."

"Yeah, tell me about the other Reese," Derek prodded.

"I told you, he's classified," Perry explained.

"We're family."

"We're all family."

Derek let out a deep breath, realizing that Perry wasn't budging. Protocol was protocol to him. Classified was classified. Derek didn't care. He hadn't come to get answers from Perry. "Let me talk to Connor. He'll understand. Kyle was his friend."

"Connor doesn't have any friends," Perry countered. "He has _her_. And he doesn't talk to anyone but her."

Derek frowned. "Her? Who's 'her'?"

Perry shook his head. "Forget it, Derek."

Derek couldn't hold back a bit of bitterness from his tone. "Fine. I'll find him myself."

"Reese…"

Derek ignored Perry, picking up his pace. He still remembered where Connor's room had been and he knew where the communications station and computer lab was. There were only so many places John Connor would be. But when he turned into a supply room, he saw a sight that almost made him freeze in his tracks - a familiar brown-haired female figure walking through the room.

Allison Young's face.

The TOK unit that had interrogated him.

Her head turned toward him, her eyes locking on his and suddenly Derek felt as if he was moving in slow motion. This was the machine that had lied to him, the machine that had betrayed her promise not to attack Firebase. Even if Kyle hadn't been killed like she intended, he knew many others had.

And here she was, inside John Connor's base. Didn't John know Allison was dead? Had the machine succeeding in tricking Connor into thinking it was human and was simply waiting for a chance to finally terminate him?

Derek's hand reached for his desert eagle as the word came out of his mouth in a yell. _"Metal!"_

The machine came toward him, her hand pulling her own weapon out even as Derek aimed his pistol, hearing Perry's voice as if from far away.

"No!"

As Derek pulled the trigger, Perry's hand closed around his wrist, shoving his arm into the wall and throwing off Derek's shot. For a moment Derek felt stunned. Didn't Perry realize that Allison Young was dead?

"She's a machine! She's one of them!" he shouted.

"No!" Perry's order was given to the TOK who had stopped advancing as soon as Perry had subdued Derek. When Perry was sure the machine wasn't going to try to shoot Derek, he turned back. "She's one of ours."

Perry's grip loosened and Derek arms dropped to his side. He watched in shock as the TOK re-holstered her weapon, retreating the way she had come. Derek never took his eyes off her and the TOK turned around once to regard him.

"One of ours?" Derek repeated. Perry crossed his arms and Derek turned back to the TOK who had looked away from Derek and continued out of the room. His eyes spun back to Perry accusingly.

"What is going on here? Did you see what it did? It was pulling a gun on me."

Perry shook his head. "She was defending herself. She may have shot your hand, or shot the gun out of your hand, but she wouldn't have killed you. She's on your side, Reese."

Derek's face twisted with rage. "No, she's not! There's no _she _here. That's not Allison Young!"

"I know."

"Does Connor know about this?" Derek demanded.

"Connor's the one who brought her here."

Derek shook his head incredulously. "This is insane! That's not a human being! Why is it here?"

"We've been reprogramming them - Connor has - so that they will protect humans, not hunt them. We've broken their link to Skynet. They work for _us_ now."

Derek began pacing, rubbing his forehead. "Just reprogrammed? And given run of the place like pets?"

"This is Connor's show and that's what he wants."

Derek turned sharply, gesturing to where the TOK had disappeared to. "Those machines kill! They kill that's all they do!"

"And now they do it for _us_," Perry retorted. Derek could hear an edge in his voice that suggested that Perry was growing irritated with Derek's nagging. "They helped us in Topanga, we'd never have done what we did."

"What did we do?" Derek protested.

Perry pursed his lips. "Derek…"

"What happened? What happened up there? What happened to my brother?"

Perry simply stared, and Derek knew the soldier had no intention of explaining anything. Derek turned and stormed away.

His only hope now for answers lay in John Connor.

*************

**Depot II**

**Communication Room  
**

John Connor looked up when Cameron re-entered, instantly noticing that she didn't have any food with her. "What happened?" he asked curiously. "They run out of strawberries in the kitchen?"

"Derek's here."

John's smile dropped instantly. "What?"

"He tried to pull a gun on me."

John stood up quickly. "What did you do?"

"I pulled my gun but Perry stopped him."

John sighed heavily. "You shouldn't have done that. It'll only get Derek even more riled up."

"He was a threat to the safety of everyone in the room," Cameron replied. "I would not have killed him. You need him."

"So you would have just shot him in the hand?"

"Yes."

John sighed again. "Yeah, well, I don't think he would have liked that too much. No wonder he hated you the past."

"Connor?" Lauren's voice came from the speakers and John picked up the radio.

"Lauren. You back at Serrano?"

"Yes. We have… we have an issue," she began.

John frowned, dreading her reply. "What?"

"One of your reprogrammed Terminators just arrived from Depot 42," she began. "He confirmed that everyone human in the bunker was dead, killed off by some kind of disease."

"A disease…" John repeated uneasily. "Have you figured out what it is yet?" "No. We have him quarantined and I'm going in to see if there's any trace of the disease in his blood that we can analyze."

"Is that safe?" John asked.

"We have special environmental suits here," she explained. "We'll be fine."

"Let me know what you find out," John replied.

"Copy that, Connor," Lauren agreed. John disconnected the call and breathed out a sigh, glancing over at Cameron.

"Any ideas?"

She opened her mouth, but before any sound could come out, the door burst open, revealing Derek's imposing figure. As soon as his eyes locked on Cameron, John saw the instant change in his uncle's face, the genuine fury and rage in his eyes.

"You metal liar!" Derek exploded.

John was instantly on his feet, ready to stop Derek if he tried to attack. "Stand down, Derek!"

But Derek wasn't even paying attention to John at all, his furious gaze boring into Cameron. "You promised to call them off!"

John didn't understand the meaning of Derek's words. All he knew was that his uncle was out of control. "Derek, stop."

"I shouldn't have expected anything from a machine," Derek spat.

"Reese!"

Finally Derek spun his fiery gaze on John. "Do you know what this is? That thing killed Allison! It _told_ me!"

"I'm aware of the situation," John said coolly.

"Then _burn _it!"

John's face flushed with anger. "Get back in line, Lieutenant."

_That _caused Derek to stop, his face twisted from an expression of anger to one of confusion. "What? Lieutenant?"

"You've been demoted," Cameron spoke up, which was tremendously unhelpful for Derek's mood. "Showing dissent towards a superior officer, disobedience…"

"Shut up!" Derek moved for his gun, but John caught his arm, shoving it down violently.

"And trying to assault a superior," Cameron finished.

"You are not my superior!" Derek snapped.

"Actually she is," John corrected. "She's second in command."

Derek's face clouded. "Like Allison was?" Derek accused. "You're just replacing her?"

John felt a brief stab of pain in his heart. "No, I'm not. But there are things here you don't understand." His eyes locked on Derek, trying to make his uncle comprehend, yet knowing deep in his heart that he never would. "Have you ever played chess?" he questioned. "It's a game of war, a game of strategy. Sometimes in order to win, you have to sacrifice."

"How does killing Allison help us win?" Derek demanded.

John didn't answer and Derek pressed his advantage, his tone turning pleading. "Connor! What about sacrifices? What happened to my brother?! You owe me the truth! He's my blood!"

John saw the ultimate pain on Derek's face, and he suddenly couldn't blame his uncle for going off on Cameron. Derek was hurting, confused, and alone. And John hated having to tell him this. "Believe me when I say I am truly sorry. You will never see your brother again."

Derek's jaw slackened and John could see his uncle was struggling to hold himself together. Apparently, he had refused to believe whatever anyone else told him, but when Johnhad confirmed it… Derek suddenly couldn't deny it anymore.

John could do nothing but stare at the glazed look in his uncle's eyes as Derek Reese slowly backed out of the room and down the hall.

"What did he mean?" John asked, shifting his attention to Cameron. "About calling them off?"

"When I interrogated him, I told Derek that I had a squad of Terminators ready to attack Firebase and kill Kyle if he did not give up your location. If he told me where to find you, I would call them off."

John swallowed hard. "Did you?"

"I did," she insisted. "Skynet must have realized my allegiance had changed. They must have sent the squad back to take out Firebase and sever my trust factor with the Resistance."

John sighed. "Yeah, that sounds like Skynet." His gaze trailed to the door where Derek had been a few minutes ago. "I owe him the truth. He needs to know what really happened to his brother."

"Did he know when he came back from the future?" Cameron asked.

"No, but…"

"Then it's not time for him to know yet," Cameron replied. "There is a time for everything."

John grimaced at the phrase, having heard it before. "Now you sound like Weaver," he grumbled.

************

**Depot II**

**Soldier Quarters**

Derek lay unmoving on his bunk, his eyes closed, trying to fall asleep. To say his meeting with Connor hadn't gone well would be an understatement. He'd thought he'd be able to control himself, but seeing that machine again… the TOK who had interrogated him, the one who had promised Kyle's safety.

The one John Connor had named Cameron.

_Named. _

He couldn't stop the rage from controlling him. And that fury was replaced by an empty hopelessness when Connor had confirmed what Sumner had told him. He would never see Kyle again.

There was a sudden round of automatic gunfire coming from down the tunnels and Derek jerked up, eyes widening with alarm as he heard the shouting voices.

"We have a red alert! Get emergency response!"

Derek readied his desert eagle and quickly rose from his cot, still hearing the voices shouting frantically amidst the gun blasts.

"Go get her now!"

He poked his head out of the room, seeing several soldiers running past him down the hall. The commanding voice was still shouting at people to move and Derek turned toward the sound, saw another soldier come running around the bend in the tunnel, bullets suddenly ripping into his body. A few others dodged past and started running toward him.

Derek raised his gun as the intruder came into view. He instantly recognized it as the machine that had captured him at Firebase. And if it was here now, it must be one that John Connor reprogrammed.

And the reprogramming apparently wasn't good enough.

Because Derek had been right. _They kill. That's all they do. _

The Terminator's machine gun sprayed the hallway with bullets, killing the few Resistance fighters that had been trying to flee. Derek ducked behind the wall, using it for cover until the Triple 8 stopped firing.

_Now or never… _

"Hey!" Derek cried, stepping back out and firing several times at the Triple 8. The bullets hit the metal, but the machine never flinched. Instead it raised its weapon again and Derek quickly darted back into his room, ducking down near the door. Where was his plasma rifle when he needed it?

He heard the booted footsteps of the Terminator as it neared his hiding spot. The only thing Derek could do now was take it by surprise, maybe slow it down, keep it from getting anyone else.

No one else except Derek Reese.

The Triple 8 walked into the doorway, not seeing Derek crouched on the ground. Derek moved quickly, placing his body in the machine's path, causing it to trip and fall heavily to the ground.

Derek was on his feet faster than the Triple 8, aware of the fact that he could have used those precious seconds to retreat out the door and run. Instead, he emptied the cartridge of his desert eagle into the machine as it stood up. Once again, his action was to no avail.

"Do it," Derek said, a wild look in his eye. "Do it. Kill me now you son of a--."

He'd expected the Terminator would shoot, cutting off his sentence. He'd expected to feel the flash of pain from the bullet. He'd been expecting to see darkness… or white light.

He'd been expecting death.

But he hadn't expected John's cyborg to step in and save him.

Before Derek could finish his sentence, before the Triple 8 could shoot, a blur came from the doorway, shoving the Triple 8 with enough force to send it crashing through the brick wall.

Derek watched with shock as Connor's cyborg swung her grenade launcher around from her back, firing a blast directly at the downed terminator.

Derek saw the explosion of white light and turned his head, shielding his face from the shrapnel and chunks of debris. The smoke cleared, but he was still panting hard, staring at the remains of the renegade Triple 8 when his Terminator rescuer turned to him.

"Sometimes they go bad," she stated. "No one knows why."

If the entire event hadn't been so brain-rattling, Derek would have laughed. They just _go bad_? And Connor still let them have run of the place? What if _Cameron_ suddenly went bad when she was alone with Connor? He'd be dead.

But Derek didn't say anything, merely watched, still stunned as she headed back the way she had come as if nothing had happened at all.

**************

**Depot II**

**Communication Room**

John was sitting at the communication station with Yelkov when Cameron re-entered the room, her grenade launcher still around her shoulder.

"I took care of the Triple 8," she stated.

John let out a sigh of relief. When the alarm had first gone off, Cameron had insisted John remain in the radio room where it was safer while she went to take care of the renegade machine. That was the only problem with using reprogrammed Triple 8s. Sometimes the reprogramming didn't hold. Sometimes they reverted, which was why he was grateful to have John Henry's rogues on his side. The rogues had chosen to follow John. They weren't reprogrammed, therefore they did not revert. He looked up at Cameron again.

Well, he reconsidered, remembering his horrible birthday. Damaging explosions could sometimes flip a switch too. Even on those who had chosen their path.

"Was anyone killed?" he questioned.

"Yes," she replied. "At least a dozen. It was mostly contained to the south quarter. The Triple 8 didn't get very far. Derek baited it, kept it in one place. He almost got himself killed."

John sighed heavily. "Maybe that's what he wanted. He just found out that his brother is gone. Kyle was all he had. It's… a lot to take."

"He's grieving," Cameron added.

"Yeah," John agreed. "I guess he is."

The radio crackled and Yelkov picked it up. "Depot II."

"Lauren Fields, Serrano Point. Is Connor there?"

Yelkov handed over the radio to John, who gripped the device tightly with anticipation. "Any news? What happened with the Triple 8? The disease?"

"It's nothing like we've seen before," Lauren began, her voice grave. "And whatever kind of virus it is, it's wiping out entire bunkers very quickly. This isn't a natural disease, Connor. It's something else."

"It's a bio-weapon," Cameron recognized. "A disease designed to wipe out the entire human race. Skynet won't have to do anything."

John's demeanor crumbled. "Is there no cure?"

"No," Lauren replied. "But… back when I first learned about all this, Derek told me that my sister has an immunity to a deadly disease that kills many people."

"Derek?"

"Not this Derek," Lauren corrected. "At least, not yet, I guess. The one in the past. The one who helped me deliver my sister."

"Your sister has an immunity?" John repeated. "Where is she?"

"She should still be at Eagle Rock."

"Alright, we'll find her," John promised.

Private Seth Kohl peeked his head into the room, eyes locking on Cameron. "Hey, you ready? He's waiting for you."

John turned, frowning. "Who's waiting?"

Cameron exchanged a look with Seth, whose expression had turned sheepish as soon as he'd realized John was there. "Um… sorry, General, for interrupting."

"You're excused, Private," John replied coolly. He glanced over at Cameron with a raised eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

Cameron merely smiled mysteriously. "It's a surprise."

She took off down the hall with Seth without another word, leaving John and Yelkov alone in the radio room.

Yelkov looked puzzled, but he gave John his full attention. "Orderz, General?"

"Try to get in touch with Eagle Rock," John commanded, his gaze trailing towards the entrance Cameron had disappeared through.

***********

**Depot II**

**Soldier Quarters**

Derek Reese had been trying to calm down after his near-death experience with the renegade Triple 8. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out if he'd actually secretly been hoping the machine would kill him.

_Do it! Kill me now!_

He still felt the pain of knowing that what Connor said was true. He would never see Kyle again. So wouldn't it be better to just die now, rather than continue to fight a losing battle where he'd already lost everything?

A shadow crossed over his eyes and he jerked up in his bed to see John's cyborg standing overtop of him. "John wants to see you," she said simply before walking towards the door, stopping to make sure he would follow.

Something about her choice of words bothered him_. John wants to see you. _Not "Connor." _John. _No one called him John except his closest friends. Kyle had usually called him John. Allison had always done it.

But the _machine… _the machine saying his name that way suggested that she was something more than just a reprogrammed ally. Maybe John felt an attachment toward her because she looked like Allison, but whatever the reason…

Derek didn't like it.

She led him through the quiet halls to a small hallway right near John Connor's personal quarters. There was a single door in front of them, with a high-tech biometric lock on the side.

He thought they would have to wait for Connor to arrive to open the lock, but the metal walked right up and stood in front of the machine as it scanned her eyes, unlocking the entrance.

Derek felt a flash of anger as the reality of the situation set in. A _Terminator_ had access to John's secret chamber.

Any other thoughts were cut off when she opened the door, waiting for him to walk past her and into the room. And when he did, all thoughts of John Connor and his cyborg ceased as he stared at the flashes of blue light coming from the chamber on the other side of the glass windows.

Engines - huge engines just like the ones Skynet's Terminators had been dragging and its HKs had been transporting. Just like Skynet's secret weapon.

Whatever it was, John Connor had one too.

"Derek."

Derek spun around to see Connor standing behind him in the shadows, his face highlighted by the bluish glow of the… whatever it was he'd just been looking at. "What is all this?"

"It's a time machine," Connor explained.

_Time machine… _Derek was about to remark how stupid that sounded when he remembered that Connor had already proved time travel was possible when he'd come from the past. Instead, Derek stared out at the machine. "How does it work?"

"You program in the date and it transports the person to that time," Connor explained. "Only organic things can go through."

"So no machines?"

"Only if they're covered in living tissue."

As Derek stood staring at the time machine in bewilderment, he wondered if maybe Kyle had been sent back in time and _that's_ why Connor and the others hadn't given any details. But, no, they'd been in Topanga Canyon when Kyle had vanished.

His eyes followed the blue flashes coming from the engines. "Why show me this now, Connor?"

"Because I owe it to you," Connor replied. "This is what we've been working on. This is what Skynet's secret weapon was."

For a moment, Derek's mouth went dry. If _this_ was what Kyle and Connor had found in Topanga… maybe Kyle really _had _gone back in time. Maybe he wasn't really dead. There had to be a chance…

"We'll be going back to Serrano tomorrow, you and me," Connor continued. "But I want you to be prepared. One day, I'm going to need you to form a squad and go back in time on a mission."

"A mission…"

Connor smiled slightly. "You'll know that when the time comes."

"How do you know it works?" he asked. _Did Kyle already use it?_

"It works," Connor insisted. "It's just like how I jumped from 2009."

"Right…" Derek recalled. He turned back to look at Connor, studying the General for the first time in a while. He'd changed, of course, in the two years he'd been fighting and leading. He still looked almost the same, still young. But some of the innocence was gone. Some of the naivety. Some of the joy.

He could see the years of war written on John Connor's face, could see the pain and grief from the deaths of everyone he loved, could see the hardness and anger lurking just underneath those youthful eyes.

So different from when Connor had first arrived in the future.

And for a brief second, Derek flashed back to that moment, to the young, fierce-faced teenager that had showed up in his bunker. The kid who would grow to become the respected leader of the resistance. For a moment, just a moment, Derek saw John the way he used to: not as a commander or superior, but as a _friend. _

And with that recognition came wave of guilt he wasn't used to feeling.

"I'm sorry, John," he managed to get out. "For betraying you. For telling Skynet your location."

John's face showed that he understood the change in Derek. His eyes softened slightly, staring at Derek compassionately. "I understand. Your first instinct was to protect Kyle."

_No excuse, _Derek thought to himself. "But I never… I never would have thought… I still shouldn't have said anything."

John smiled sadly. "It's like you used to tell me. 'What can happen inside four walls… it screws with your head. Makes you do things you never thought you'd do.'"

The words didn't register in Derek's brain and he frowned. "I've never said that."

"Not yet," John said mysteriously. "But now I understand why you said what you did. I told you some people always fight. I thought maybe you were one of them, but you just said, 'fewer than you think.' I didn't realize you were talking about yourself."

John's eyes remained sad and compassionate and Derek couldn't help but feel a spark of love for the young man his brother had cared for like a son. John hadn't mentioned anything about Kyle, but Derek knew the truth. John would have specifically told him if Kyle had been killed during the Topanga attack. He would never have sent Kyle back in time unless it was absolutely necessary, unless his brother was meant for something important. Because John Connor had loved Kyle, not only as a friend and comrade, but like a father.

John's sad smile remained even as Derek turned to walk away.

But as Derek left, so did the friendly moment between him and John. Because his eyes were drawn to that biometric scanner outside the door of the TDE chamber. As far as he'd seen, there were only two people who had access to the Resistance's most valuable, top-secret weapon.

John Connor himself.

And the machine that had stolen the face of Allison Young.

* * *

_**Next Week on Born to Fight:** SYDNEY: It's coming. PERRY: We just received a coded SOS from Eagle Rock Bunker. DEREK: I'll find the girl, I'll bring her back. JOHN: He's gonna get himself killed. CAMERON: He's grieving. He just needs to find something to live for. [Derek runs into Jesse] JESSE: Your fly's open._


	33. Born to Heal

_meanoldmoe - Yes, Cameron will continue to learn more about being human but she's never going to be "completely" humanized. Her being a machine and that robotic nature is part of who she is and its part of why John loves her. Yes, John and Cameron will definitely continue to get closer. In this chapter, you finally find out what Cameron's surprise is!_

_Neskat - Thanks for your comments. Don't worry, it will make sense at the end. (Hopefully.) And thanks for the offer - if I ever need any Italian translation, I'll be sure to ask. :) BTW, don't worry about Weaver and John Henry. I can't promise you anything about them sipping motor oil on the beach, though. lol. :D_

* * *

_Previously on Born to Fight: [John introduces Queeg to Jesse] JOHN: He's your new captain. [Derek returns to Depot II] DEREK: Take me to Connor, now. [Triple 8 goes rogue] DEREK: Do it! Kill me now! [Cameron rescues him] Seth: (to Cameron) He's waiting for you. JOHN: Who's waiting? CAMERON: It's a surprise. YELKOV: Ve lost another bunker. LAUREN: It's nothing like we've seen before. This isn't a natural disease, Connor. It's something else. CAMERON: It's a bio-weapon. JOHN: Is there no cure? LAUREN: Derek told me my sister has an immunity. JOHN: We'll find her._

**Chapter Thirty Three:**

**Born to Heal**

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

John Connor stepped into his private quarters at Serrano Point, pausing in the doorway to take in the sight. In his time in the future, he'd only felt at home in a few places. Depot II had served as home for a while, and he had felt at home when he was at the Connor Camp.

But most of his time afterward had been spent at Serrano with Kyle. Coming back to it now felt like coming home again, even if they were still on the verge of a crisis. He heard the rhythmic pattern of combat boots hitting the floor and didn't even have to look to see who it was at the door.

"Welcome home, Cameron," he said, gesturing around the room. "I know it's kind of small…"

Cameron cocked her head. "It's almost three meters larger than your room in Depot II."

John pursed his lips. "O-kay. I never actually measured, but I'll take your word for it. This cot's slightly more comfortable than the one at Depot II, though."

Cameron went over to the cot as if to test John's theory.

Before she could state her conclusion, Perry burst through the door. "Connor! We just received a coded SOS. From Eagle Rock Bunker."

John felt his jaw tighten. "Sydney Fields."

"There were two hundred people in that bunker," Perry reported. "Skynet must have hit it with the bioweapon. Everyone's dead except this one person."

"Thank you, Major," John replied, his mind still racing. "It's daylight, so I can't send anyone out yet, but I'll prepare someone to bring her back."

Perry nodded crisply, his eyes flashing suspiciously to Cameron who was still sitting on John's bed before he ducked out of the room. John ran a hand through his hair, sighing as he closed the door before sitting down next to Cameron on the mattress.

"You're worried," she stated.

_An understatement, _he thought. "I'm thinking about Sydney," he murmured. "We need to get her back here ASAP. If that bioweapon keeps spreading, we need the cure."

"You also need to sleep," Cameron pointed out.

He flopped backwards on the bed, taking a deep breath. Cameron shifted slightly so she was looking down on him, her smile washing away some of his stress. Her eyes remained locked on his until her gaze suddenly darted to a place on the floor. John lifted his head up and watched as the silver pool materialized into Weaver. At the same time, the door to his room opened and in walked John Henry.

"Hello," he said pleasantly.

John leaped off the bed quickly, storming over to the door and closing it behind John Henry. "Guys, this is my _room_!" he exclaimed irritably. "Do you have to keep sneaking in here?"

"You must send a machine to retrieve the Fields girl," Weaver stated.

John scowled. "No duh."

"I can go," Cameron spoke up.

John jerked his gaze back towards her, his annoyance with Weaver's interruption quickly fading. "What?"

"I can go get Sydney."

John shook his head slowly. "No…"

"You have to send a machine. We're the only ones who cannot be infected."

"Yeah, only you and Sydney Fields," John muttered. He winced. "I just… hate sending you right into the middle of that."

Cameron tilted her head, giving him a patronizing look. "I cannot get infected."

"I know, I know," he relented. "I know you'll bring her back safely. You'll do good. You always do."

"If I may," Weaver began. "I believe Solo would be a better choice."

John stiffened at the mention of the other infiltrator model. "Why?"

"Sydney Fields is unaware of your reprogramming," Weaver explained. "We need an advanced infiltrator model, one who acts flawlessly human. Otherwise she will simply shoot it on sight."

John felt anger cloud his face. "Cameron _is _an advanced infiltrator. She can act as human as Solo can!" Weaver's calm, questioning face only outraged him further. "He's not more advanced than her! He's not _better _than her!" John shifted his gaze to the other Terminator in the room. "John Henry?"

John Henry looked from John to Weaver before stating, "I agree with Ms. Weaver."

"What?" John exploded. "How can you --?"

John Henry cut him off. "I said I agree that Solo is the best choice for this mission, not that he is more advanced than Cameron."

"Sydney Fields knows that Allison Young is dead," Weaver elaborated. "If Cameron were to show up, Fields will know she is a machine. It is not a matter of who is more human, but a matter of who Sydney will react to and more importantly who is capable of bringing her back."

John hesitated, casting a glance over at Cameron. What was her reaction to the discussion? Was she bothered by the fact that Solo could possibly be more advanced, could be more _human _that she was?

She'd kept her eyes on the ground during the conversation, but now she looked up, obviously seeing his worried gaze and offered him a small smile that seemed forced… even for a machine.

"She's right," Cameron replied. "Solo is the most logical choice." She rose from the bed and headed for the door. John cut her off, confused.

"Wait, where are you going?"

She stared back. "I'm going out."

John frowned. "But I thought you said we were going to sleep."

"I said _you_ needed rest, John. I don't."

"Where are you going?"

Cameron walked past him and opened the door. "Out," she replied simply before disappearing into the tunnels. John remained frozen in place, confused. Was this part of her top secret project with Seth Kohl? What was she working on? Or did she simply want to get out because the discussion about Solo had upset her?

He gritted his teeth when he turned back to Weaver. "Thanks."

Weaver didn't react to him at all. "You should inform your officers. John Henry can prepare Solo for his journey." Without another word, she and John Henry left the room, leaving John completely alone.

*************

**Serrano Point**

Derek had heard the news, had heard about how John Connor was going to send in a metal to save the survivor. One of the reprogrammed machines. As if the event mere days ago with the renegade Triple 8 hadn't even happened.

Derek caught up to Perry as the older officer headed down the tunnel. "Is it true? The bioweapon? Connor sending in a machine to rescue that girl?"

"That's the plan."

"The plan sucks," Derek protested. "You can't use metal for this."  
Perry didn't stop walking, merely turned to regard Derek with an almost condescending expression. "Look, they hit Eagle Rock Bunker with a bioweapon that killed everybody inside. Only one person survived out of two hundred. Now, we need her back here. Alive. Metal's immune to disease so we're sending in metal end of story—"

"Tin cans are immune to disease," Derek interrupted, face flushed. He took a step closer, a bit of anger in his tone. "But not immune to going bad and putting a bullet in the skull of a person out there who can save us from this plague."

_Sometimes they go bad. No one knows why. _

And Connor wanted to send one of them to save their only hope of a cure? Derek knew exactly what he had to do. "_I'll_ find the survivor. _I'll_ bring her back. Just hope she can help us."

Perry sighed. "Once exposed, there's no way to know how long you've got. Could be four hours 'til the symptoms hit, twenty before the bug kills you. This could be a one-way trip."

"We're all one way trips," Derek replied evenly.

Perry paused, studying him, shaking his head slowly as if trying to guess what Derek was thinking. "He's not out there, you know. Your brother, Kyle."

Derek pressed his lips together but he refused to speak. He knew there was a part of himself that deep down, refused to believe that he would never see Kyle again, despite what Connor had told him. Despite the fact that Kyle had most likely gone back in time. Part of him refused to let go of the possibility that Kyle was still out there, somewhere, in need of rescue when everyone else had given up on him.

"He's gone, Reese," Perry continued. "Now, either you learn to live with that or die from it."

Perry turned and walked away. Derek stared after him for a few seconds, thinking about his last statement, before heading off in the opposite direction, towards the exit.

***************

**Serrano Point**

John Connor closed the door behind him as he left his personal quarters, still feeling weird. It was the first night he'd been alone since Cameron had returned. He'd grown so used to her presence that her absence had made it incredibly hard to sleep. More than a few times, he'd thought about getting up and wandering around the bunker until he found wherever she was.

He heard footsteps behind him and saw Cameron approach. "Hey," he said gruffly. "You did come back."

"Yes."

"You were out all night," John added. Even as he spoke, he felt his anger and irritation slowly fading away. It was impossible to stay angry with her. "It was kind of lonely in here."

Cameron's face truly looked apologetic. "I'm sorry. You'll understand later."

John opened his mouth to speak when another set of footsteps cut him off, these ones heavy and fast.

"Connor!" Perry called, coming around the corner. "I need to talk to you."

John frowned. "What's wrong? Did you send Solo yet?"

"The metal? No. Derek Reese is going instead."

John's eyes widened. "What?"

"He insisted," Perry explained. "Adamantly. If I hadn't given him permission, I get the feeling he would have gone anyway."

John sighed, placing a hand on his head. "I was afraid of that. Thanks for the heads-up." Perry nodded and retreated the way he had come.

John scowled. Derek was crazy for going. The bio-weapon could end up infecting him before he had a chance to get Sydney out. "He's gonna get himself killed."

"I told you, he's grieving," Cameron replied. "He just needs to find something to live for."

"I thought I had given him that," John protested. "That's why I showed him the TDE now instead of later. I thought that maybe it would make him feel important, that he'll be needed in the future. And I thought it might plant a suggestion in his mind that Kyle used it, that he might possibly still be alive."

"But he's not."

"Well, not now," John admitted. "But in the past, he is. Or was. I don't… I don't know how to help him."

"You can't help him," Cameron replied. "Derek needs to find the way on his own. He's going to find a cure for this disease, but he also needs to find his own healing as well."

*********

**Eagle Rock Bunker**

Derek Reese hadn't met with any resistance on the way to the bunker. He'd seen a few lingering HKs but whatever this new Skynet was, it seemed to be certain that the bioweapon was all it would take to win the war.

The only person who could prove it wrong was waiting inside this bunker for him to rescue her.

Derek adjusted the gas mask over his face, making sure it was sealed tightly before he opened the door of the bunker. As soon as he stepped inside, his legs froze as he took in the sight.

There were bodies everywhere. Dozens of people, lying in cots and on the floor all around the bunker, all of them motionless, dead. If not for the gas mask, Derek was sure he could have smelled death in the air. He certainly felt it.

"Hello?" he called, his voice muffled slightly from the mask. Where was this survivor? The further in he went and the more death he saw, the more Derek felt the urge to leave, the foreboding sixth sense telling him to run. Something in the air right now had killed these people and it was like his brain didn't even register that he had a gas mask for protection.

"Hello?!" he repeated, calling louder this time.

He moved forward, searching the bunks for any sign of movement, for any sign of the girl who had sent the SOS signal. His eyes focused briefly on a male and female figure sitting up against the wall in a bunk, their heads leaning against the other, almost peaceful in death. Like they had known it was coming and wanted to be together at the end. Derek swallowed hard before glancing away, his eyes landing on a sight that made the sick feeling in his stomach only grow worse.

It was a pregnant mother, lying dead on the cot with one arm on her stomach and the other around her two young children.

Derek averted his gaze, blinking rapidly, his breath coming shorter. He quickly backed away, his pace quickening as he retreated towards the entrance, bursting through the front door of the bunker and out into the darkness, ripping his mask off his face.

His breathing came faster, more ragged as he stood in the rubble. He tried to tell himself that he was just taking a bathroom break, that he'd be going back into the bunker in a minute.

But the image of that family. That woman, those children, that _baby _all murdered by Skynet's virus. Derek tried to get a grip but the faces remained burned into his mind. And with their faces came the face of his younger brother, who was also gone, dead.

_He's not out there, Reese. He's gone. _

_You will never see your brother again._

Derek looked down at his gun. What was the point in going on anymore? Kyle was gone, everyone in that bunker was gone. All two hundred human beings. Two hundred lives ripped out from under them in a matter of hours. Added to the three billion humans whose lives had been lost in the blink of an eye after Skynet's nuclear attack.

Kyle had always been his excuse for living, for keeping up the fight. Now that he was gone… Derek had nothing else to live for. No reason to go on.

And something inside Derek Reese just snapped. He couldn't take this anymore. Couldn't take any of it. No more destruction, no more war, no more Skynet.

No more death.

Except his own.

"Excuse me?"

Derek lifted the pistol, pointing it in the direction of the voice. Across from him stood a female resistance fighter, a plasma rifle in her hands and aimed at his head. Her eyes flashed down then back up to meet his.

"Your fly's open."

Derek stared, his gun still pointed at her, her gun still pointed at him. For a long moment he just remained motionless, his mind whirling. How close had he come that time? How close had he come to surrendering his own life? To abandoning his mission. To abandoning Sydney Fields, the Resistance, and John Connor. How close had he come to giving up?

"You the one?" the other fighter asked. "That sent the signal?"

Derek slowly lowered his gun, watching as she mimicked his motion. "No."

"My shore party picked up a coded SOS about forty-five ticks back," she began, glancing around. "Sent me to fossick around."

Derek stared at her blankly, taking a few steps closer. "What's that in English?"

"Means someone's still alive inside," she replied. "Probably civilian. Probably hiding. Radio room, I'm guessing."

Her sarcasm had no effect on him. Derek shook his head slightly, wiping some sweat off his forehead, still trying to recover. "I didn't go in that far. What'd you say about a shore party?"

"Been making troop and supply runs back and forth from Perth for months," she explained. He noticed her eyes constantly scanning the skies, on alert for any HKs. That was good, he told himself. It meant she was a good soldier, a good fighter. "Seawolf sub," she finished. "The _Jimmy Carter_."

Derek stared at her for a moment. Connor had never mentioned anything about any water forces. "You've got a nuclear sub? Who drives it?"

She gave a ghost of a smile. "Not who. _What," _she replied. "We've got a scrubbed Trip8 for a captain."

Derek fought to keep anger off his face. "You've got metal running the sub." He shook his head. What was it with Connor and trusting the machines? What if that thing flipped too? They'd lose the submarine and all the sailors on it. He walked past her towards the bunker, retrieving his gas mask and opening his backpack.

"Well, you find me a sub commander who survived J-Day and I'll switch him in," she replied. Derek found little comfort in that. But at least she didn't seem overjoyed about the fact that the machines were working for Connor. At least she didn't seem attached to one like Connor was.

She smiled good-naturedly. "Have a little faith, mate. She'll be apples." Once again, her words went right over his head and she apparently realized that he hadn't understood her. "Means we'll be alright," she offered.

"You believe that?"

She shrugged indifferently. "As sure as my mother loves me."

"My mother's dead," Derek replied. He held out the other gas mask from his backpack. "Here."

She took it, looking up at him inquisitively. "Gas?"

"Bugs," he corrected.

"This gonna work?"

"Probably not."

She snorted with amusement before walking past him towards the bunker doors. Derek shook his head. She was crazy. Impulsive.

She reminded him of himself.

"Hey!" he called, catching up to her. "I don't even know your name."

"No," she agreed. "I don't know yours either."

He expected her to say more, but when she didn't, he decided to make the first move. "I'm Derek. Derek Reese."

"Jesse Flores," she replied with a small smile as she fastened her gas mask over her face. Derek quickly followed suit and they advanced into the bunker once more.

Jesse took the lead, pausing slightly at the door and taking in the scene. She handled it much better than he had, pressing on with determination. Derek had learned from his past mistake. He kept his eyes averted from all the dead people around the room, choosing instead to focus on the only thing here that would remind him of life.

He kept his eyes on Jesse Flores.

They soon passed through the first room and into the long hallway that led to the radio room. Jesse paused up ahead, gesturing for him to move forward. Derek stepped up the door and banged on it four times. There was no answer and Derek glanced back at Jesse, who remained as silent as whoever was in that radio room.

Derek turned back to the door. "Come on, come on," he whispered, banging on the door again. This time he heard the answering knocks. Jesse held her plasma rifle at the ready and Derek heard the lock mechanism pull back with a screech. The door opened, revealing a young girl without any protection from the virus.

Derek assumed this was Sydney Fields. The only one who could save them all.

Her eyes were red from lack of sleep and she had an almost dead look in her eye. Derek didn't blame her. The girl had seen two hundred people in her bunker die slowly. It would have traumatized anyone.

"Those gas masks, they won't help," she said, her voice hoarse. "You're already infected."

**************

**Serrano Point**

John walked quietly towards his personal quarters, feeling the exhaustion of the day setting in. Derek had to get back from Eagle Rock as soon as possible. Sydney Fields may be their only chance.

He'd almost made it to his room when he saw it.

The young brown-haired, brown-eyed woman coming down the tunnel hallway with a small German Shepherd puppy cradled in her arms.

At first he could have sworn it was Allison coming toward him with the puppy, just like she had done that Christmas day when she had given Max to him. He quickly forced the thought of Allison and Max aside, swallowing hard.

Of course it was Cameron.

What he couldn't understand was the way the puppy was just lying sleeping in her arms, not barking or biting at her like dogs normally did with machines. Or maybe it was dead. That would explain its passive behavior…

Cameron came up right in front of him and he saw the puppy stir slightly in its sleep, small eyes opening slowly to look up at Cameron. John half-expected it to realize whose arms it was in and start making a fuss, but the puppy didn't make any noise at all.

John stared from the puppy to Cameron in bewilderment. "How…"

"He's for you," Cameron explained. She held out the puppy to him, but he was too stunned to take it. Seeing his frozen reaction, she pulled it back and cradled it close to her body. He could only stare at how the puppy reacted, snuggling closer to Cameron, lying there comfortably in her mechanical arms, not growling, not struggling.

He finally processed her statement. "For me?"

Cameron averted her eyes from his, looking down at the puppy. "Because I killed your dog, Max."

John's head snapped up at the mention of his first loyal canine companion. Cameron held out the puppy once more and this time John reached out and took it, swallowing hard. It looked just like Max had when he was little. For a moment, he merely stared, captivated by the puppy's big brown eyes.

"How?" he repeated, tearing his gaze away from the puppy to look up at Cameron.

"I was there when the puppies were born," she explained. "Seth Kohl placed one in my arms and it didn't do anything. He's been helping me care for it."

John smiled slightly. So this was her secret project. Seth had simply been helping her train the puppy to respond positively to her. And if Cameron had been there at this puppy's birth, had been one of the first to hold it, no wonder it was attached to her. No wonder it didn't treat her like a machine. It didn't know anything different. To him, she was normal.

"Does it… does it have a name?" John asked.

"I named him Sam."

John looked down. Somehow, it seemed fitting for the little puppy. "You named him," he repeated. "Why Sam?"

"It's an acronym," Cameron explained. "Sarah. Allison. Max. In memory of them."

For a moment, John's mouth dropped open and he could feel his eyes burning as he looked down at Sam. For Cameron to have done something like this… in memory of loved ones he had lost… it meant more than he could ever fully put words to.

He looked up at her through shining eyes. "Thank you, Cameron."

Her returning smile was tender. "You're welcome."

****************

**Eagle Rock Bunker**

Derek Reese stood inside the radio room, glancing out the small window into the outside world. He'd taken too long getting here, had wasted too much time outside. By now, it was daylight.

"Sun's out," he reported to Jesse and Sydney. "We can't move out till nightfall, that's when the tin cans switch to infrared. Guess we'll just have to sit it out and wait."

"When we get to Serrano Point, they can cure this thing?" Jesse asked.

_You'd better hope so, _Derek thought to himself. They'd taken off their gas masks after Sydney had revealed it was pointless. The virus was already in both him and Jesse.

"Let's just get to Serrano first."

Jesse pulled some packages out of her own backpack, handing one to Sydney. "What is this?" the girl asked.

"Plumpy'nut," Jesse replied. "Peanut butter mixed with baby formula, vitamin powder. Slept on top of a pallet of it on the trip over from Perth."

Derek took one of the packets from Jesse. "You guys are growing food again?" He hadn't been back at Depot II or Serrano for very long, but he had noticed some of Connor's soldiers bringing in crates of food. Must have been the Perth supply trips.

"Yeah," Jesse replied. "Beats chasing rabbits."

"Rabbits?" Derek questioned. "I thought Australia was all wombats and wallabies and stuff."

Jesse smiled, her voice holding a bit of laughter in it that he'd never heard before. "No. Some wacko brought them over in the 1800s and we've been overrun with 'em ever since." She paused to take a long drink out of her canteen. "Tried everything to kill the things, trapped 'em, shot 'em, poisoned 'em. Built a fence across half the country to keep 'em out. In the 1950s they even introduced a virus to wipe them out forever."

Derek saw Sydney look over and he knew exactly what she was thinking. It was exactly what Skynet was attempting to do with the bio-weapon.

"Killed most of 'em," Jesse continued. "But a couple were immune so ten years later, Aussie's up to its eyeballs in rabbits again."

She took another long drink of her water. As Derek watched her, he suddenly felt a uneasy feeling in his stomach. During her story, he'd noticed the change. It was as if she'd become short of breath, her breathing growing heavier with every sentence.

She finally put down the water. "Tough little buggers. That's why you have to cook em longer." She took a deep breath before looking over at Derek. "Can you pass me your water? I'm parched."

Derek let her take it, his eyes still watching her as she started gulping his water down as well. He glanced over at Sydney whose eyes stared into his own, then at Jesse before the young girl looked away.

Derek got the hidden message. The symptoms of the virus were already starting to take hold of Jesse. But there was nothing that could be done for her here, and going outside was a risk in the daylight. Maybe it was a risk they had to take.

What had Perry said? _Eight hours before the symptoms hit, twenty before the bug kills you. _

They couldn't afford to wait.

He started gathering his belongings. "Let's go."

Jesse stared at him like he was nuts. "In broad daylight? Just cuz you're death crazy doesn't mean we've enlisted."

Derek glanced over at Sydney. "It starts with a dry mouth," she said quietly. "And then the sweats. And the fever and shaking starts. And then your lungs fill up with fluid and then you die."

Jesse's eyes had grown wider during the exchange, as if she had finally realized what was happening.

"You don't have much time," Sydney finished. "It's coming."

Derek repeated his statement, more firmly this time.

"Let's go."

*************

Jesse had only gotten worse as more time passed. Derek had begun to feel the symptoms too, though he tried to suppress the desire to give up. He needed to be strong.

Jesse and Sydney both needed him to be strong.

When he finally entered Serrano Point once more, he and Sydney had to support Jesse as she walked. A group of humans in environmental suits came to retrieve them, one helping Jesse into the quarantined sickbay, the other coming up next to him.

Derek glanced over at Sydney, who was being led over to Perry. Through his own environmental suit, the senior officer met Derek's gaze and nodded almost imperceptibly.

The suited figures helped him into the tent and laid him down onto a bunk, inserting an IV into his arm. Jesse was in the bunk right next to his. Derek knew the scientists and medical staff was working as fast as they could to make the cure from Sydney's blood, but he couldn't help but have the nagging feeling that he and Jesse wouldn't get it in time.

He couldn't tell how much time had passed. His fever had worsened and he felt awful all over. How many hours had it been since he'd been infected? The symptoms had taken way less than eight hours to hit, unlike Perry had predicted. Did that mean that the bug could kill them in less than twenty?

From the other bunk, Jesse spoke up, her voice was raspy, her breathing fast and labored. "You know what Oscar Wilde's last words were? 'Either that wallpaper goes or I do'."

Derek let out a breath quickly. "I thought it'd be over by now."

"You're ready for it."

It was a statement, not a question. She had seen what he'd been about to do outside the bunker when they met. She didn't know what he had been through, but she knew what he'd almost done.

Ever since Kyle's disappearance, he would have agreed with her. Hours ago, when he stood outside Eagle Rock alone, he would have agreed with her. But suddenly, Derek Reese knew he wasn't ready to die.

"No," he whispered. "No, I'm not."

"Then what were you doing when I found you outside Eagle Rock?"

He'd been waiting for a miracle, for something to stop him from going through with his suicide. He'd been looking for something to live for.

"I was waiting," he replied. "For you."

He thought she tried to speak, but her words turned into a terrible fit of coughing. Despite his own fever and fatigue, Derek felt a flash of fear for her. Was it coming? Was this the last step before the virus killed her?

The tent flap opened and two of the doctors entered, both carrying syringes. Was this the cure? The girl doctor came over to his bunk and injected the liquid into his IV. He watched as the same thing happened over at Jesse's bunk.

Finally he looked back up at the girl, trying to focus on her face. She smiled, as if she recognized him from somewhere. "Thank you for saving my sister."

Derek's gaze trailed to the door, where Sydney Fields stood, the only one without the protective suit. She smiled at him, gratitude evident in her eyes.

If he had the energy, Derek would have smiled back.

***********

"How's it coming?" John asked when Lauren and Sydney came back into the main area of Serrano Point, rid of her environmental suit.

"Derek and Jesse will be alright," she reported. "The cure is working. We can use it to vaccinate everyone against the bio-weapon. Skynet will have to try something else. We won this round."

She gave him a smile before retreating, leaving him alone in the room with Sydney. John glanced over at her. She looked a lot better, a lot healthier ever since she'd gotten cleaned up and fed a decent meal of fresh vegetables. He couldn't imagine the death she had seen at Eagle Rock, but he could see the life she had brought to everyone else.

"You've saved a lot of lives today," he said, a sense of pride in his voice.

Sydney smiled slightly. "Thank you. But it's nothing I did. It was just in my blood."

"That doesn't matter," he insisted. "You're still a hero."

She smiled again and he reached out and shook her hand warmly, then watched her retreat back towards the medical wing.

Whether she admitted it or not, she was a hero. She had done something to the entire Resistance that he hadn't seen in a long while. Ever since the discovery of the new Skynet, he'd seen the hopelessness, the despair, and in some cases, such as his uncle, they had lost the will to live.

But with the news of the cure, spirits had lifted, hope had been restored. Already he could see a change in everyone, in their will to fight. Sydney Fields had brought more than just the cure for this disease.

She had brought healing.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: DEREK: Where are you going? JESSE: Back to the Carter. Supply run to Perth. DEREK: We can't just sit around doing nothing and wait for it to hit us with something else. MATT: I can help you. [Queeg boards the Carter.] DIETZE: So this is our new captain? [The Carter crew sees the Perth bunker under attack] JESSE: We have to get those people out. Queeg, please!_


	34. Born to Change

_Previously on Born to Fight:_ _[Matt Storms listens to John Connor's radio broadcast.] JOHN: If you're out there, don't lose hope. You are the Resistance. [John Henry and Weaver enter SRD] MATT: Connor has machines working for him? JOHN HENRY: Working with him. My name is John Henry. [Matt activates the T-1001] MATT: This thing could be a huge asset to John Connor. It's going to change the world. JESSE: Been making troop and supply runs back and forth from Perth. Got a scrubbed Trip 8 for a captain. QUEEG: It will be an honor serving with you, Commander Flores. BLAIR: I trust John's judgment. DIETZE: You're just like Connor, a metal-lover. CAMERON: It's a bioweapon. DEREK: There's someone out there who can save us from this plague. I'll find the girl; I'll bring her back. LAUREN: Thank you for saving my sister. LAUREN: (to John) The cure is working. We won this round. [Cameron brings John a puppy] CAMERON: I named him Sam. Sarah, Allison, Max. DIETZE: So you're saying you actually agree with Connor? That this is good? JESSE: We'll see..._

**Chapter Thirty Four:**

**Born to Change**

**Serrano Point**

**Outside Infirmary**

John met with Derek a few days after his uncle had been given the vaccine. The cure had provided relief almost instantly and by this point, Derek and Jesse had made a full recovery.

Well, at least Derek's body had made a full recovery. John wasn't sure about his heart.

He knew what Derek's mindset had been like ever since he learned that Kyle was gone. The suicidal impulses, the desire to die so he wouldn't have to live with the pain of his brother's loss.

Even now, as Derek stood outside the infirmary where he'd just been checked out, John could see it on his face. Conflict. Deep thought.

"Derek," John stated, getting his uncle's attention. "Are you here?"

Derek scowled. "Where does it look like I am?"

"No, I mean are you _here._"

For an instant, Derek's face softened and he nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."

John allowed himself a small smile. "Good."

Derek hesitated before meeting John's eyes. "You've had your share of loss, right? You know what it feels like, the pain… Your mother, Allison, now Kyle." His face seemed to grow even more tortured at the mention of Kyle. "How do you deal with that? How do you deal with the pain?"

"By remembering words your brother told me," John replied. "'Pain can be controlled you just disconnect it.' You grieve the person, but at some point you have to let it go. You can't let it control you. You can't let it control your actions. You have to disconnect it."

Derek cast his eyes down, seeming to be thinking over John's words. Finally he nodded and looked back up, offering John a half-smile. "Thanks."

"So. You ready to fight again?" _Without wishing for something to kill you?_

Derek's nod this time was firm. "Yes."

"It's about time."

*************

**Serrano Point**

**Soldier Quarters**

Derek paused in the doorway of Jesse's quarters, his smile turning into a frown as he watched her continue packing her mess kit and weapons into her backpack.

"Where are you going?"

She glanced up briefly before returning her attention to her task. "Back to the _Carter_. Supply runs to Perth, remember? We talked about this."

Derek tried to suppress the deflated feeling in his heart. "I figured maybe you were done with supply runs for a while."

Jesse gave a modest shrug. "There's always more food growing. And until Skynet II strikes, we have nothing to do. Might as well prepare."

"You're permanently stationed here at Serrano though, right?" Derek questioned, trying not to sound too hopeful. "I mean, you're coming back?"

Jesse looked up, a smile in her eyes. "Why?" she asked with a laugh. "Will you miss me?"

Derek grinned, glancing away. "Just be careful."

He didn't need to finish his sentence. _Especially with your Triple 8 captain…_

************

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

John lay on his cot in the dark, his head propped up on slightly on the wall. Cameron lay right beside him, her head resting on his shoulder, with him gently stroking her hair. He didn't even know if she got any pleasure out his gesture, but to him, it just felt _right. _

He'd told her many times over that she was off-duty at night. She'd acknowledged that, but he knew she wouldn't sleep even if she could. She had explained that she could enter standby which was her equivalent of sleep, but no matter how many times he encouraged her to do it, he knew she wouldn't. She'd pretend, but he knew she'd remain ever alert, ready to protect him from a threat at a moment's notice.

But that was Cameron.

It was part of why he loved her.

Something whimpered at the floor and John lifted his head slightly to see Sam sitting on the floor at the end of the bed, whining softly.

"It's his first night away from his mother and siblings," Cameron pointed out. "He's lonely."

The corner of John's mouth turned up into a sad smile. _Being John Connor can be lonely. _"Yeah, I know how that feels."

Cameron turned her head to look over at him. "Can he come up?"

"On the bed?" John asked. "Sure, why not?"

"Some people don't allow their pets into their beds," Cameron explained.

"Well… we like small animals," he replied with a grin.

She smiled slightly. "Yes. We do." She leaned over the side, reaching down and lifting Sam up onto the bed. The puppy's tail began wagging almost instantly and he bounced around up near John's head, sniffing around before ultimately curling up on Cameron's chest.

It wasn't long before he could hear the puppy's rhythmic snoring, Cameron's hand continuing to pet his soft fur.

John couldn't help but find the irony of the situation amusing. Sam was attached to a machine when most of the dogs have the instinct to hate them.

It was just another thing to remind him that Cameron was indeed different.

**********

**Serrano Point**

**Main Hold**

John looked up when Derek entered the main hold, looking a little lost and out of place.

John understood how his uncle felt. Derek had formed an attachment to Jesse, something that would eventually blossom into genuine love. Right now, he felt weird not having her around, and he was no doubt worried about having her away.

"I take it the _Carter_ has set sail?" John spoke up.

Derek nodded. "Yes."

"What'd she say to you?"

Derek shook his head. "Nothing. Just that there's nothing else to do while we wait for Skynet to strike. Which reminds me…" Derek's eyes snapped up, the worry and fear gone, replaced by determination and anger. "Why are we waiting? Why are we waiting for it to strike first? _We _need to hit now! None of this passive waiting around, we have to be the ones to make a move!"

"And do what?" John countered. "We don't know how to defeat this new Skynet. We don't know where it is, what kind of weapons it has. We don't know anything. The only thing it has attempted to do is unleash the bio-weapon. Beyond that, we don't know what it is capable of."

"We can't just sit around doing nothing and wait for it to hit us with something else," Derek protested vehemently. "Maybe next time it will be something we can't recover from."

John looked up, his face hard.

"John is doing the best he can," Cameron spoke up in his defense.

Derek turned on Cameron, sticking a finger in her face. "You shut your metal mouth!" he snarled before whirling back to John. "Connor! Listen to me! We have to do something!"

"Derek," John said, his voice low. "If you have any ideas, let me know."

Derek fell silent, the gravity of the situation finally dawning on him. Without knowing what the new Skynet was capable of, there was nothing they could do to stop it.

Suddenly the door burst open and Solo stepped in, pushing in front of him a young man John didn't recognize. Solo threw the man onto the ground, crouching beside him and pinning him there, all the while keeping his gun trained on his head.

John's mouth dropped open in stunned shock. "What are you doing?"

Solo's eyes never left his captive. "I found him outside. He gave no bunker classification but he says he's not a Gray."

"I didn't come from a bunker!" the prisoner replied, an edge of fear in his voice.

John crossed his arms. "Let him up," he ordered.

Solo didn't release the captive. "He could be a threat."

Cameron stalked forward and grabbed Solo's arm, removing his hand from the captive. Solo's eyes flashed as he glared at Cameron. Cameron's eyes remained cold and stony. John knew from experience that it was virtually impossible to win a staring contest with Cameron. Even if Solo was a machine too.

The captive stirred slightly at Solo's feet and the machine's eyes instinctively flashed toward what he believed was a threat.

Cameron, however, never looked away. When Solo looked back, he looked more than a little upset. John saw a smug smile on Cameron's face at having won the contest.

During the time, he'd almost completely forgotten about the young prisoner that was still lying facedown on the floor.

"Can I please get up?" he asked, his voice slightly muffed from being pressed into the cement ground. Both Cameron and Solo took two steps back, giving the young man space to rise.

"I'm not a threat," he insisted. "I can help you."

"How?"

The captive paused, his face puzzled, obviously recognizing John's voice. His eyes grew wide. "You're John Connor," he blurted, a touch of awe in his voice. "You sounded older on the radio."

John raised an eyebrow. "You heard my broadcast?"

The captive nodded emphatically. "I've always wanted to meet you, sir." He took a quick step forward and extended his hand for John to shake. John noticed that Solo had stiffened and moved to his weapon but Cameron had remained perfectly motionless.

He trusted her first and foremost. Obviously she knew who this person was and knew he really was telling the truth. John offered the captive a smile and reached out to shake his hand.

"So, how can you help?"

The young man looked over at Solo. "May I have my weapon?"

Solo looked at John first for confirmation. John nodded quickly and Solo brought forward a large rifle that looked vaguely familiar. "He was carrying this when he came in."

John's eyes lit up as he held the weapon, suddenly realizing where he'd seen if before. "That's…"

"An IFW," Cameron supplied, interrupting him. "Isotope fueled weapon."

"Isotope?" John repeated. "You mean like--."

"Like what Sarah Connor used in the bank," she confirmed.

The gun's owner was staring at Cameron is genuine shock. "How do you know about it?"

"I've used one before."

The man shook his head slowly. "Impossible. _I_ designed this. There's only one right now."

"My life is very complicated," Cameron replied.

John held up the rifle. "You built this?"

"That's not all," the man insisted. "I work with a group of engineers. They're working on other weapons that you can use against this new Skynet."

_Engineers? Isotope weapons? A group of them? _

John frowned, staring at his captive. "Who are you?"

The door burst open again and in walked John Henry. When he spotted John's prisoner, a broad smile stretched across his face. "Mr. Storms! Welcome to Serrano Point."

John blinked rapidly. "_You_ know him?"

"Yes. Mr. Storms was at the SRD when I implanted my code as a virus to defeat the first Skynet."

"SRD," John repeated. He turned to Storms. "You're one of the scientists at the facility? One of Skynet's prisoners?"

Storms nodded. "We run the place now, actually. We have access to all the equipment which is how we can keep developing weapons for you."

John gestured into the lab. "Let's see what else you got."

*******

_**USS Jimmy Carter**_

**Main Deck**

Jesse stood next to their new submarine driver, the scrubbed Trip8 that had been named Queeg.

The rest of the crew was with her in the main hold, studying the machine, some with suspicious glances, some remained calm and reserved. A few had openly resented it.

"So this is our new captain?" Dietze spoke up. "Captain Tin Man."

"Actually, they're calling him Queeg," Jesse corrected.

Dietze gave a laugh. "Queeg? You're kidding right?"

"Nope."

Queeg extended his hand in a formal greeting. "You are Lieutenant Dietze."

Dietze glared at the machine, refusing to shake its hand. "And you're one of Skynet's tin cans that Connor is so intent on using."

Queeg's hand retreated and Jesse glared at Dietze. "Like it or not, he's a part of this crew now. No more dissent towards a superior."

Dietze started at her, eyebrows narrowed. "It's not my superior," he growled. Jesse crossed her arms.

"Well, _I_ am. And I'm ordering you to keep in line."

Dietze took a step closer, eyes squinting as he studied her reaction. "You're not one of them are you? A metal lover?"

"Metal lover," Jesse repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Like Blair Williams and --"

"Marcus?"

"_It,"_ Dietze amended pointedly.

Jesse simply shrugged, glancing over at Queeg. "I think we could use his help. Doesn't necessarily mean I like it."

Dietze seemed content with her answer. "Well, good, then. It's bad enough that there's one metal lover controlling the whole resistance. We don't need another controlling the _Carter."_

As Dietze turned and walked away, Jesse couldn't help but feel a spark of resentment towards him. His blatant dissent and mistrust of Connor was unacceptable.

Because even though she didn't completely agree with John Connor's idea of reprogramming the machines…

She trusted him.

****************

**Serrano Point**

**Laboratory**

As John showed Matthew Storms into Serrano's laboratory, Solo came in behind him, expressing a human emotion of annoyance.

"I find it counterproductive that you keep disregarding my warnings."

John thought about ignoring the cyborg, then decided against it. "Why?"

"Because he could have been a real threat to you," Solo said reasonably.

John glanced over at Cameron who was standing a few feet away, watching as John Henry showed Storms the equipment he would be working with.

John looked back at Solo, his face hard. "It he was a real threat, Cameron would have told me."

Solo's eyes flashed over to Cameron. "You trust her word over mine."

John's lip curled. "Yes."

"Even if I am a newer model? More advanced."

John felt a rush of emotion and lost control of his movements, slamming his hand down on the counter, fighting his burst of anger. _You're not more advanced than her. _"Get out," he growled.

Solo glanced over at John Henry who nodded slowly, indicating that leaving was indeed the wisest option at this point. The AIM left without another word.

John looked over at Cameron whose face seemed to be a mask. Except for something in her eyes, something that seemed to suggest she was at the very least troubled by Solo's admission of superiority.

John walked over to her. "Ignore him. He's just a stupid machine."

Cameron cocked her head. "And what am I?"

The corner of John's mouth twitched into a smile and he took a few steps forward, grasping her hands that were dangling at her side, and pulling her closer to him.

"You're mine," he replied.

Cameron smiled. This time, she was the one who made the first move, bringing her lips up to his in a sweet kiss.

Caught up in the moment, John barely heard Storms clear his throat uncomfortably.

John quickly pulled back, glancing over at Storms and John Henry. John Henry returned his gaze to Storms.

"Tell him your thoughts."

Storms nodded once, trying to refocus. "I'm afraid you've started the arms race."

"Arms race?" John repeated.

"You developed plasma rifles, Skynet stole the idea," Storms elaborated. "They created the bioweapon, now you've got the cure. They'll retaliate with something bigger. Something worse."

John chewed his lip thoughtfully. "So we need to be prepared."

"The plasma rifles were good, no doubt," Storms admitted. "_If_ you're a perfect shot, which most of us aren't." He shot a glance at Cameron uneasily. "Well, us humans at least," he amended. "If you don't hit the skull just right, it doesn't do much to stop the Terminator." He held up the IFW. "But this thing, it uses a plasma base, except its more powerful."

"It blew Cromartie's body apart," Cameron added. "Decapitated him."

Storms raised an eyebrow, looking more than a little confused. "Okay, who the heck is Cromartie?"

"Dead," Cameron stated, with a quick glance at John Henry.

"O-kay."

"The point is," John cut in. "This isotope weapon is better. Except there's a charge time, right?"

Storms nodded. "The isotope solution has to turn red before you can fire."

"But you're saying that Skynet will eventually make something just as good?"

"Either that or they'll make different Terminators," Storms agreed. "New models, more advanced. Ones that can withstand plasma."

John nodded to the IFW. "So this is what you got so far? Just this isotope weapon?"

"I also have plans to use the Terminator's nuclear power cells to power vehicles and weapons," Storms replied. "It would make them quieter and eliminate the need for gas. There's also a bunch of scientists back at SRD that are working on other projects. One of my co-workers, Lopez, is even working on something that is even more powerful than C4."

"Are you in communication with them?"

"They were working to rebuild the radio unit when I left," Storms replied. "Shouldn't take more than a few more days."

"Then you can report to them," John replied. "You'll remain here and work on whatever new technology you can, maybe make some more of those IFWs. We can send the _Seawolf_ to go pick up some of your friends from the base. In the meantime, you can work with some of our engineers. John Henry, would you introduce Storms to Wisher, Brooks, and Wallace?"

John Henry nodded his affirmation. "Right this way, Mr. Storms."

************

_**USS Jimmy Carter**_

**Perth, Australia**

Jesse stood in the command center, staring at the readouts. They were just outside Perth now, ready to pick up the fresh supplies and go back to Serrano.

The Chief of the Boat pulled one earphone down, looking troubled. "We've got a problem, Commander. We've been trying to hail the Perth base, but we're getting nothing."

"Block?"

"Doesn't seem like it," the Chief replied. "Just… no answer."

Jesse's brow furrowed and she glanced down at the readouts. "What's happening out there?" She flipped a switch to communicate to another location in the submarine.

"Leira, check the periscope. See if you get a visual of anything going on out there."

"Copy that, Commander."

Jesse waited impatiently for a moment before Leira's voice came over the speakers again.

"Uh, Commander. It looks like there's smoke coming from the base."

Jesse felt an ice cold fear wrap around her heart. She instantly stiffened, trying to remain composed. "We have to send out a shore party, find out what happened. Chief, go inform Dietze to launch his squad."

The Chief nodded quickly before leaving to perform his duty. Jesse glanced back at Queeg.

"Anything in the water?" she asked. "Bombs? Krakens? A trap?"

"Negative, Commander," Queeg replied. "Though there is a possibility that a Kraken will be on its way. If Skynet really did attack the base, its probable that they have prisoners to transfer."

"_If_ they took prisoners," Jesse replied coolly. Her outward appearance was merely an act for what was going on in her head. This wasn't just some bunker. This was Perth. Her hometown. Where her family was. Where she had left them thinking it would be safer than coming to join the Resistance actively in the war.

"Commander?" Dietze's voice came over the radio, his tone hushed. "We're on the outskirts. I can see the bunker from here, but… looks like it's been bombed. The front entrance is collapsed. There's at least three machines out front, guarding I think."

Jesse swore under her breath.

"Must have happened recently," Dietze added. "If there's guards, they still have the prisoners inside."

"They're waiting to transport them back to the continental states," Jesse finished. "Waiting to take them back to Skynet."

She glanced over at the Chief, whose face had turned a shade whiter. "That means a Kraken."

Jesse shifted her gaze to Queeg. "How much time do we have?"

"The smoke indicates this attack was fairly recent," Queeg replied. "Provided that the Terminators are in contact with Skynet, it could take maybe two or three hours for a Kraken to arrive."

"What can we do?"

"We should have enough time to detour back to Serrano before the Kraken's arrival," Queeg replied.

Jesse felt shocked. "Go back?" she repeated, shaking her head slowly. They hadn't come all this way just to leave the people of Perth bunker in Skynet's clutches. "No. We have to get those people out."

The Chief seemed to hesitate, no doubt knowing her personal connection to the situation. "Flores… it's likely they are already dead."

Jesse shook her head adamantly. _I refuse to believe that. _"They can't be. Those machines are guarding that door for a reason. They want the prisoners alive for a _reason_."

"It is too dangerous," Queeg stated.

For once, the Chief agreed with their Triple 8 captain. "He's right. It's suicide."

"Not if we have him!" Jesse shot back, gesturing almost frantically at Queeg. What good was having a machine on the crew if he didn't make himself useful? The Chief bit his lip and looked away.

Jesse's eyes hardened with determination. She was not going to let anyone else die. Her mind flashed back to a few days ago when she'd first met Derek.

_We'll be alright._

_Are you sure about that?_

_Sure as my mother loves me._

_My mother's dead._

That was the way many people were nowadays. Derek's mother was dead. Connor's mother was dead.

No one else would die today.

"Connor would understand," she muttered.

Chief shook his head. "Getting our crew killed is not going to help your mother!"

Jesse threw one last desperate look at the metal captain. "Queeg, please. This is my _family_."

"It doesn't understand," Chief replied as if she didn't already know. "They don't know anything about family or love."

Jesse pressed her lips together tightly. Whether they wanted to or not, she was going to rescue those people. "Then as the ranking human, I order you to help get those people out."

Queeg's head tilted slightly. "My mission is to return your crew safely to Serrano."

Jesse's eyes squinted, staring at Queeg with a frown. "I gave you an order."

"I am not required to follow your orders if they contradict my primary mission parameters."

"Which is?"

"To protect humans."

Jesse let out an incredulous breath. "What do you think you're doing by letting the people in that bunker die?! You're failing that mission!" Queeg stared at her, his face completely motionless.

Jesse suddenly felt an intense hopelessness. "Queeg… please…"

Queeg appeared to be studying her, gauging her reaction, processing it or whatever he did. Finally he turned to the Chief. "Chief of the Boat, please watch the _Carter _and its crew while Commander Flores and I enter the Perth bunker."

The Chief's eyes widened in shock. "You're going? But-"

"Thank you, Chief," Queeg interrupted calmly. "You may resume your duties now."

A few minutes later, Jesse and Queeg were making their way up the shore towards the bunker where Dietze and his crew were waiting to meet them.

"If you love your mother, why did you leave her here?" Queeg asked.

Jesse wasn't sure if he was just making conversation or if he was really trying to understand. She shrugged. "Perth is safer. _Was_ safer. So I thought."

"But you are not with her."

"No," she agreed. "Sometimes you have to make small sacrifices. I don't see her often, but she stays alive. It's a price I have to pay." Her grip on the rifle tightened. "You know the plan, right?"

"We provide a distraction while Lieutenant Dietze and his party set charges along the backside. Dietze will then lead the machines through the charges which will destroy them."

Jesse nodded. "And then you help us get into the bunker."

When they reached the bunker outskirts, Jesse could see the rolling smoke still coming out of areas of the bunker that the machines had burned.

She started forward, but spotted the three Triple 8s that were guarding the bunker's back entrance. Queeg's iron hand grabbed her by the shoulder, jerking her backwards and behind him, using his own body to shield her from the spray of bullets. Jesse slid back under cover, watching as Queeg calmly walked forward to engage the Triple 8s hand to hand.

She couldn't see Dietze and his crew, but she knew they were doing their part setting the charges for the trap. Jesse lifted her rifle, taking aim at one of the Triple 8s and firing. Her shot was dead on, blasting a hole through the chip side of the skull.

The remaining two ganged up on Queeg, grabbing him and throwing him into the pile of rubble on the side of the bunker. Jesse's grip tightened on her rifle, but both Terminators snapped their heads around towards where Dietze and his crew had set the trap.

The Terminators started toward the location, following whatever sound Dietze had baited them with. Finally she saw a flash of light, an explosion that blew both Terminators a few feet into the air before dropping them on the floor.

Queeg, who had recovered from the beating, walked up to the fallen machines and quickly pulled both their chips before they could come back online.

"Mission accomplished," he stated loudly. "You can come out now."

Jesse slipped out from behind the cover, the first to respond to Queeg's assurance. Dietze and the others followed right after, meeting next to the deactivated Triple 8 bodies.

Queeg was still holding the two chips in his hand. "We should bring them back to John Connor. He can reprogram—."

Dietze's hand lashed out, swiping the two chips from Queeg's hand. The Lieutenant then proceeded to drop them onto the floor and crush them both beneath his boot. He was still panting heavily, still running on adrenaline from the fight. But his anger and hatred hadn't faded at all. He started at Queeg coldly.

"No," he hissed. "No more." He turned and stalked away back towards the _Carter, _leaving both Queeg and Jesse starting after him.

Jesse gestured to the bunker door. "Let's clear this off and get those people out."

A few minutes later, Jesse and Queeg were wandering through the empty halls, calling for any survivors. Within a few minutes, they found a group of at least thirty prisoners inside the radio room.

Jesse recognized her mother instantly. "Mother," she breathed, running forward and clasping her mother in a tight hug. "You're alright! What happened? Skynet found it?"

Her mother nodded solemnly. "Yes. Burned all our supplies, all the fresh food, everything. I think they were going to interrogate us or take us someplace, but I don't know…"

"We need to get you out of here," Jesse said.

Her mother took a step back, shaking her head firmly. "No. You need us to stay. To rebuild. To keep growing fresh food."

"Connor can send one of us to help you rebuild," Queeg spoke up. Without waiting for a reply, he turned away from both, heading over to the radio to contact Connor.

At the beginning of this trip, the last thing Jesse would have wanted was another machine at her mother's bunker. But now… she wasn't sure. Queeg seemed like a good enough bloke. He'd helped her rescue her mother, despite what the Chief and apparently Queeg's own logic had said. Despite the fact that he wasn't required to, wasn't ordered to.

A few minutes later, Queeg returned to her side. "I contacted John Connor. The _USS Seawolf_ has been monitoring the water traffic. It seemed like Skynet called the barge to retrieve its prisoners, not a Kraken. The _Seawolf_ has been sent to destroy the barge with its torpedoes. Connor says he'll send it here with a Triple 8 that can help rebuild your bunker and also protect you if Skynet should strike again."

Jesse's mother nodded her agreement. "Very good." At seeing Jesse's slightly troubled expression, she smiled kindly. "Don't worry about us, luv. We're needed here and you're needed with John Connor and the Resistance."

She looked back at Queeg, sticking out her hand. "We're much obliged for the assistance, mate."

Queeg shook her hand firmly. "You're welcome," he said in his usual monotone.

Jesse smiled slightly as she gave her mother one last hug. "I'll miss you."

"You go make your mother proud. Help John Connor. Be a hero. I know you'll do your part."

Jesse's smile widened. "Thank you."

Less than half an hour later, everyone was back onboard the _Carter _and they were preparing to set sail back to Serrano Point.

Queeg and Jesse had been the last to arrive and the Chief had been hard at work making most of the preparations. Queeg moved toward the command deck to resume his duties. But Jesse couldn't let him go like that. Not without knowing how much she appreciated what he had done to help her and everyone in the Perth bunker.

"Hey, Queeg!"

He turned around slowly and Jesse offered him a smile. "Thank you."

Queeg inclined his head. "You're welcome, Commander Flores."

**************

**Serrano Point**

John had met the _Carter _crew as soon as they returned, receiving a more detailed report from Queeg and Jesse about the situation. As she discussed the circumstances, John saw the change in Jesse, in the way she looked at Queeg now. It was no longer with skepticism or disgust. Rather, it was with respect, trust even. With his act of helping her save the Perth bunker, Queeg had proven himself to Jesse.

John had always wondered where the Jesse of this future had stood on the machine issue. Now he knew how her point of view had changed from dislike to genuine respect.

But even more than that… he wondered how – and why - it would so drastically change back.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: SARAH: (on tape) Ellison is going to take the plans with him to the secret base. JOHN: Ellison… he's still alive. The only question is… How do we find him? LOGAN: (on radio) My name is Mike Logan. CAMERON: He's the leader of the Grays. JOHN: (to Logan) I'll kill you. [A Gray is brought into Serrano Point.] GRAY: Please… I just want out. JOHN: There is no out._


	35. Born Into Slavery

_Author's note: I will not be posting another chapter next week as I will be celebrating Christmas and will be on vacation. But this chapter is longer than normal so hopefully that'll tie you over until then. Thanks to everyone who's been reading. I hope you like it and have a Merry Christmas!_

_Sky Samuelle – Awesome! I'm honored that you like my continuation so much. Thanks for reading!_

_Meanoldmoe – Thanks for the review. I understand your point of view with regards to Solo. In all honesty, it wasn't my intention for readers to _like _him. _

_Eshe Returned – Well I'm glad you and your brother are enjoying it. Thanks for the comment and I hope you continue to be impressed._

_Luke777 – Yes, SRD is where Skynet II was born but it's not the only research and development station Skynet has. They have several others that are easier to access (not on an island.) The whole purpose of the island SRD was to keep the human engineers from trying to escape. The new Skynet isn't using prisoners. It's run by Grays, people who are willingly serving it. This new chapter actually talks a lot about this. So, that's why the T-1001 and the scientists were able to take over SRD without Skynet really caring too much. _

_Ljm – If you like the multi-scene chapters, you'll probably like this one too. I use that style to bring a big revelation. It seemed to work out pretty well too, in my opinion. But I'll let the readers decide._

_

* * *

Previously on Born to Fight:_ _JESSE: Been making troop and supply runs back and forth from Perth. Got a scrubbed Trip 8 for a captain. [Perth bunker attacked] JESSE: We have to get those people out. Queeg, please. [Queeg and Jesse save the bunker.] JESSE: Thank you. CAMERON: It's a bioweapon. DEREK: There's someone out there who can save us from this plague. I'll find the girl; I'll bring her back. LAUREN: Thank you for saving my sister. LAUREN: (to John) The cure is working. We won this round. DEREK: We can't just sit around doing nothing and wait for it to hit us with something else. LOGAN: (addressing the Grays) We couldn't stop Judgment Day. We could only prepare to rebuild afterward. [Skynet II appears on the screen] LOGAN: I thought the Resistance destroyed you. SKYNET II: I have risen. GRAY: It's alive! [Logan escapes the Gray base] SKYNET II: Serve me._

**Chapter Thirty Five:**

**Born Into Slavery**

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

John jerked awake when he heard the door to his room open, lifting his head off the desk turning towards the door. Cameron had just entered, immediately turning around and closing the door behind her, coming over to his desk with a few small square objects in her hand.

John rubbed his eyes, trying to shake away the effects of sleep before concentrating on what she held out to him. "What are these?"

"Tapes from your mother," she replied. "I found them in her secret room."

John turned the tapes over. "More of them? Where?"

"They were hidden in one of the old computer CPUs," Cameron replied. "It was malfunctioning so I took it apart. The tapes were inside."

John sighed as he opened up his tape recorder and inserted the tape. "Someone needs to go through that room with a fine-toothed comb to find all of my mom's secret hiding places…"

Cameron was silent for a moment, processing his answer. "I don't think using a comb would be particularly effective."

John stifled a smile. "Right…"

He clicked on the tape, swallowing the lump that formed in his throat every time he heard his deceased mother's voice.

"By now you have probably already learned what we have," Sarah said, her voice strong and clear. "If you were able to implement our first strategy, you would have thought Skynet was dead. But apparently, that was not enough. There is a Skynet II."

John frowned, looking up at Cameron. "How would she know that?"

On the tape, Sarah answered his question. "You sent someone back from the future to tell us that our efforts to defeat the first Skynet were not enough. We've been working on a new strategy."

John laid his chin on his hands, thinking hard. Who was this person, this fighter he had sent back? He could see in her eyes it was someone she'd cared about. But who? It couldn't be Kyle, and Derek would be sent to 2007. Who else was there? Who would he have sent? Maybe it was just someone she got attached too after J-Day. He knew several of his soldiers who could have had that effect on her. Maybe he'd send a young soldier who reminded her of himself.

"Most of our detailed plans will be hidden in a secure location that I can't say on this tape, just in case it's not you listening to this, John…"

John let out a frustrated breath. "How will I know where to find it if you don't tell me?"

Sarah's voice hesitated, and he could hear the catch when she spoke again. "The cancer that Cameron warned me about… it's going to kill me, John. I don't think I'll last much longer. I won't be going to the new hidden base." Her voice broke and he heard the noise on the tape grow faint, as if Sarah had placed it in her lap momentarily as she tried to compose herself.

He swallowed the lump in his own throat.

"But," she continued, in control once more. "Ellison is going to take the plans with him to the secret base."

John's eyes widened in recognition. "Ellison…" he breathed. "He's still alive…" And if Ellison was still alive, it was a good bet he was still in hiding at this secret base, with Sarah's plans and probably Danny Dyson and Savannah as well.

John's gaze trailed up to Cameron, whose eyes were still focused down at the tape Sarah had been talking from. "The only question is…" he began, biting his lip. "How do we find him?"

************

**Goldfish Bunker**

Derek stood, pacing uneasily in front of the entrance of Goldfish bunker, anxiously awaiting the return of the _Carter's _crew. His trek from Serrano to Goldfish hadn't been terribly long, and at the moment it wasn't too dangerous either. Not with Skynet still in preparation mode or whatever it was doing.

He heard the doors slide open and quickly stood still, watching as a few sailors he didn't recognize streamed in. Derek instantly recognized the Triple 8 captain Jesse had spoke of. He could tell by the machine's walk and the blank look in its eyes.

Derek didn't even try to suppress the angry glare as the Terminator passed.

Jesse ended up being the last to exit, no doubt having stayed behind to make sure everything was alright with the sub. As soon as she came into view she caught his eye and he saw a smile flash across her face.

"Hey, didn't expect you to be here," she said, shouldering her backpack. "You're a bit far from home aren't you?"

"So are you," he replied, trying to remain cool when all he really felt was relief and a thrill of excitement. He glanced around. Everyone who had been disembarking had been carrying only their personal packs. Even Jesse had just one. "Wasn't this a troop and supply run?" he questioned. "Where's all the troops and supplies?"

"Couldn't get any," Jesse replied evenly. "Skynet found the Perth base and was holding it captive. They have to rebuild and start growing food again."

Derek thought about that for a moment before stating the obvious. "So you're coming back to Serrano then? For good."

"For now," she amended with a grin. She let her bag's strap slip off her shoulder before holding it out to Derek. "Here. Make yourself useful."

He grinned once, taking hold of her pack and following her into the base.

*************

**Serrano Point**

**Communications Chamber**

"General!"

John Connor halted in his tracks before he passed by the radio room, turning to see communications tech Yelkov frantically motioning him.

"Someone dialed into our frequency," Yelkov explained hastily. "Said 'e doesn't have a rank or designation or even a bunker. He just says he needed to speak with John Connor. I didn't know vhat to do, it could be trap…"

John took the radio, thumbing it on. "Rank or designation."

The voice on the other line hesitated. "I… I don't have one."

John frowned. Everyone had a designation, whether it be a military rank, civilian or drifter. "Who are you? What's your name?"

"Mike Logan."

John clicked off the radio and motioned to Yelkov. "Get Cameron in here."

Yelkov nodded once, saluting emphatically. "Aye, aye, General!"

Only a few minutes later, Cameron entered the room, purposely leaving Yelkov outside and closing the door. "Yes?"

John glanced up at her questioningly. "Does Mike Logan mean anything to you?"

She seemed to react to the name. "He's the leader of the Grays."

Surprise flashed across John's face. Why would a Gray be calling him? Was this a trick? "Their leader?" he repeated. "I thought Fischer was their leader."

Cameron cocked her head, searching her internal database. "I've never met Charles Fischer, but records indicate he is not the head Gray. He is a leader, but not the biggest."

"You've never met him."

"I didn't associate with the Grays."

"But you knew this one?" John corrected. "You knew Logan?"

"Of course. He was the one who created us."

John's mouth opened slowly. "Created you?"

"Machines. He helped build the first Terminators."

"What?"

"After Judgment Day, Logan contacted Skynet and offered to create machines that could enforce Skynet's laws. These machines became the Terminators."

John curled his lip, an anger burning in his stomach. "He… he started this? And now he wants to--" John clicked on the radio again.

He chuckled humorlessly into the device. "I can't believe you actually thought I would fall for that. You're a Gray, a traitor to your race."

"Connor, that's not–."

John cut him off. "If you ever show up here, I will kill you."

"No, wait!" Logan protested. "Connor, I want to—."

"I'll kill you," John warned, his threat being the last thing Logan heard before John cut the transmission.

************

**Goldfish Bunker**

**Outskirts**

Derek sighed as he stepped over a mound of rubble. He normally didn't mind being on patrol duty, but right now all he wanted to do was be with Jesse. Instead, she'd been called into some kind of meeting to discuss some sailing business with _Queeg _of all people.

_Not people, _Derek corrected himself mentally.

Patrol had seemed like a good way to pass the time, even if he wasn't familiar with the perimeters of Goldfish Bunker. When he felt like he'd trekked out far enough, he started to turn back when a sudden movement to his right caught his eye. Derek dropped silently down behind a wall of debris, peeking up over the edge at the intruder.

Derek jerked his rifle up, aiming at the figure. It didn't seem to be walking like a Terminator, but there was only one way to find out. With one hand he slipped his desert eagle from its holster and aimed at a spot right in front of the man's foot.

The bullet fired, hitting the ground and sending a spray of dirt and metal chunks flying. The intruder had jerked backwards reflexively when the slug had hit near his foot, yelping as the shards stung his legs.

Derek was on him in five seconds, grabbing him from behind and holding a knife to his neck. "Who are you?!"

The man remained perfectly still, not wanting to jostle Derek's hand. And, more importantly, the sharp object that was pressed into his neck. "Captain Jakes, Resistance!"

Derek didn't release his hold. "What bunker?"

"Serrano Point! Let me go!"

"Serrano, huh? Then you'll know the name of John Connor's second in command."

Jakes' face seemed to freeze and he opened his mouth, no sound coming out. Derek released his hold on the man, but the instant he did, he brought his gun up, slamming it into the back of the intruder's head, dropping him to the ground, unconscious.

"Cameron," he spat angrily. "He calls her Cameron."

************

**Serrano Point**

"So," John said as he exited the radio room, still a bit on edge from the call. "What does it mean? Why would Logan try to contact me? What is Skynet playing at?"

Before Cameron could answer, her eyes snapped up. John looked too and saw Solo walking towards him, dragging a young woman behind him. John watched in shock as Solo dropped his captive in the doorway, keeping his gun trained on her.

"I found her outside on the perimeter," Solo explained, a hint of hostility in his voice. "She's one of Skynet's, a Gray."

John opened his mouth to reply when he heard the prisoner's voice whisper. "I don't want to be."

John's brow furrowed as he knelt down, staring at her. "What?"

The Gray struggled into a sitting position. "Skynet sent a bunch of us out to find the Resistance and report your locations. But I can't do this anymore. I don't want to be a part of Skynet. I want out."

Solo didn't seem convinced. "She's possibly lying."

John looked up at Cameron, who shook her head, still studying the subject. "No," she stated. "She's not lying."

"I'll tell you whatever you want," the Gray said, her voice shaking slightly. "Just please, let me stay. Don't kill me."

"What is Skynet working on?"

"I-I don't know. I'm not one of the engineers, I'm just a civilian. Skynet provided us with food, shelter, safety to anyone who would swear loyalty to it."

John pursed his lips, trying a different tactic. "Do you know who Logan is?"

"Logan?" she frowned. "Mike Logan?"

"Yeah. Your leader, Mike Logan."

"Logan's been missing for days now," she said, still seeming puzzled. "Weeks even."

John leaned back on his heels, processing that information. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know," the Gray replied with a shrug. "I thought maybe he was on some mission for Skynet."

"Like you?"

"I don't want this anymore," she repeated. "Any of it." She reached up, touching her neck and in the light John could see the small black mark under her skin, almost like a tattoo. He frowned.

"What's that?"

The Gray shook her head slowly, seeming to be on the verge of tears. "Please… I just want out."

John stared at her, eyes squinted in confusion as he stared at the mark on her neck. He glanced over at Cameron.

"Get Lauren and Storms in here."

*************

**Goldfish Bunker**

**Prison Hold**

Derek sat calmly in his chair, facing Jakes who was tied up to the chair opposite him. Jesse remained in the corner observing them both with quiet determination. Derek's gaze bored into the stranger's who eventually had to look away.

"Let's cut to the chase," Derek began. "No nice stories about how you lost your family in Judgment Day, no lies about how you've been on your own. I know you're a Gray. So tell me, _Captain_… Who are you? And why are you here?"

Jakes refused to speak, refused to even look at Derek.

Derek shrugged modestly and casually picked up a pair of pliers. "Alright. You have three options. Option one, you tell us what we need to know. Option two, you don't tell us, and I proceed to rip your fingernails off one by one until you do."

He clicked the pliers for emphasis, noting the flash of fear that crossed his prisoner's face. "Option three," Derek began. "Well, option three tends to vary in method, but in short… you die."

Jakes remained silent and Derek's eyes narrowed. "You've got thirty seconds. Otherwise I start option two."

He saw Jesse flinch. "Derek…"

"Twenty five," Derek continued counting, staring at Jakes with murder in his eyes. "I'm not joking."

Jesse hesitated before advising Jakes, "I'd tell him if I were you."

Derek snapped the pliers together again for dramatic effect. "Twenty…"

"Alright!" Jakes burst out, face flustered. "You're right, I'm a Gray."

"Why are you here?"

"A bunch of us were sent out to infiltrate the Resistance and figure out how you all survived Skynet's bio-weapon."

"Natural immunity," Derek replied coolly. "It came with the not-stupid side of the human race."

Jakes scowled, not believing him for a minute.

"Who sent you?" Derek prodded. "Fischer?"

Jakes shook his head. "I don't know Fischer."

Derek narrowed his eyes, his fist connecting with Jakes' face, and eliciting a high-pitched yelp. "Don't lie. Everyone knows Fischer."

Jakes spat out a mouthful of blood, glaring up at Derek. "Fischer didn't send me here."

"Who did?"

"Skynet sent me. It sent all of us out."

Derek decided to try a new tactic. "Tell me about Skynet. The new Skynet."

"It's not a new Skynet," Jakes insisted. "It's the same Skynet. It came back."

"Came back?" Jesse interrupted with a frown. "Impossible."

"Nothing is impossible," Jakes replied.

"You think it came back?" Derek repeated. "How?"

"Resurrected."

Derek stood up rapidly, shoving the chair back and shaking his head in annoyance. "Just our luck," he grumbled. "The one Gray we're able to interrogate and he's a complete nutjob."

"He thinks it's a god," Jesse realized.

"It _is_ our god," Jakes confirmed. "Skynet protects us. It offers us food, shelter, protection, _life."_

"And what do you do for it?" Derek asked. Why would Skynet keep them alive if they didn't provide anything in return?

"We worship it," Jakes replied, a gleam of fanaticism in his eyes. "We serve it. Some of us are engineers who build new weapons for it. Some of us are selected to help rule the world once your pathetic Resistance is wiped out."

Derek shifted his gaze to Jesse, making a circular motion around his head with his finger and mouthing the word, "Crazy."

Jesse seemed to be taking the situation a bit more seriously. "He's actually willingly serving this thing. Like it's real. He thinks it just came back from the dead. We know that's not true."

Derek shrugged. "No. But tell that to Captain Crazy."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jakes rub the side of his neck almost reverently. Derek stormed forward, shoving the man's arm down.

"What was that for?" he demanded.

Jakes pretended to look innocent. "What was what for?"

Derek jerked on the man's collar, exposing the flesh of his neck. Derek stared. It was almost like a tattoo, only beneath the skin, an implant of some kind. He could recognize the letters: WWW.

"What is that?" he asked.

"It's the Mark," Jakes said, an air of pride in his voice. "Skynet made everyone get them. It proves that we belong to Skynet. WWW."

"World Wide Web?" Jesse said, frowning. "The internet?"

"Skynet," Jakes corrected. "Skynet _is_ the internet. It is everything and it's in everything. This proves that we are loyal to Skynet."

Derek stared at him. "You volunteered to get these things?"

"Those who refused to take the mark would die. It contains a vaccine against the bio-weapon Skynet unleashed upon the Resistance."

"So this thing is a vaccine?"

Jakes smiled eerily. "It's more than that. It's a symbol."

Derek couldn't take this anymore. He stormed out the chamber, shaking his head and waving off Jesse's attempts to talk to him. "No, I'm done. That dude is a nut. Complete freak."

"He's a Gray, what do you expect?"

Derek couldn't explain what he was feeling at hearing the Gray's words, hearing his tone of voice. It went beyond repulsive. "It's… sick is what it is," he spat. "It's worse than just trusting the machines like Connor and some of the others. This… this _worship, _idolatry of Skynet…" His jaw tightened and he shook his head slowly, eyes wide. "It's not right, Jesse. It's not right."

Jesse bit her lip, but he could see the disgust reflected in her eyes too. She just buried it better than he could. "What can we do about it?"

Derek gestured aimlessly with his hand before resting it on his jaw, shaking his head. "I don't know, Jesse. I just don't know."

**********

**Serrano Point**

**Medical Facility**

John entered the infirmary, passing Solo as the cyborg took the woman Gray back into her holding cell. Lauren and Storms were still inside, discussing the results of their inspection.

"So, tell me," John began. "What did you learn from the scan?"

Lauren glanced at Storms before beginning. "She's telling the truth. It _is_ a vaccination against the bio-weapon."

John nodded slowly. "Makes sense…"

"But it's also a death trap," Storms finished.

John frowned, lowering his eyebrows. "Death trap. Meaning?"

"The mark contains a venom, poison," Storms explained. "It can be released remotely into the bloodstream. If Skynet suspects that a Gray is switching sides or doing something it doesn't like, it'll trigger the poison release. It'll kill her."

John took a deep breath. Suddenly the Gray's options were running out. "Can you take it out?"

Lauren shook her had solemnly. "No. If the mark is tampered with in any way, it'll release the poison into her bloodsteam."

"The poison will kill her in under a minute," Cameron spoke up.

"And if Skynet learns that she hasn't reported in?"

"They'll activate the mark remotely," Cameron finished. "And she dies."

John bit his lip, shaking his head. "There has to be something we can do."

Both Storms and Lauren appeared resigned. "There's nothing," Lauren said. "If we try to tamper with that mark, the poison will release, just like it can be released by Skynet if it ever suspects a Gray has changed sides."

"Either way, she dies," John breathed. "There's no second chance anymore."

Cameron met his gaze, her tone grave. "She had plenty of time to decide her allegiance. There were several opportunities for her to get out. But she didn't. She took the mark. She sealed her fate."

John winced with helplessness as he stared through the glass into the infirmary room where the Gray was waiting. Cameron continued, her voice ominous.

"She made her choice."

**************

**Serrano Point**

**Prison Hold**

John sat quietly in front of the Gray, trying to find the best way to break the news to her. How do you tell someone that the last chance was gone? That the last hope for redemption was no longer there?

"The mark…" he began, gesturing to her neck, his voice low. "Why did you take it?"

She looked down, her fingers brushing over her neck and the mark, her face filled with disgust. "Skynet wanted all of its followers to take it. It even said that we wouldn't be able to get food without it. I just wanted what was best for my family, my children."

John swallowed hard, averting his gaze. "This thing… it's Skynet's way of marking you as its slave. You can't leave. It's a death trap. Once Skynet realizes you're wavering, it will activate a virus inside that mark. You'll be poisoned to death."

He paused to let that sink in. She sat back in her chair, not speaking for the longest time. When she did talk, her voice sounded hopeful. "Can you take it out?"

John hated to crush that hope too. "No… If we tamper with it, the poison will be released."

Her face fell and he saw the utter hopelessness on her face. She shook her head, keeping her eyes downcast, emotional turmoil evident in her voice. "I want out."

A tear rolled down her cheek and John cast his eyes back down on the ground, shaking his head sadly. "There is no out. You sold your soul to Skynet. And now…" He gestured to where Skynet's mark lay just beneath the skin surface. "…that choice is permanent."

************

**Goldfish Bunker**

**Prison Hold**

Derek was still pacing in front of his prisoner when he heard the first of the explosions. Jesse came bursting into the room.

"Skynet. Outside," she said crisply.

Derek felt a brief flash of fear but he quickly suppressed it. "Is there a back door?"

"We're not far from it," Jesse said. "But we have to hurry. They're coming fast." She gestured to Jakes, who was still sitting tied up to the chair. "What about him?"

Derek glared down at his captive. "Normally, I'd say let him burn, but Connor needs to hear everything this guy has to say. He comes with us."

Only a few minutes later, Derek, Jesse, and Jakes sneaked out the back door, clambering out into the night, using both the darkness and the mounds of rubble as cover.

Derek kept one hand firmly clasped over Jakes' mouth, the other pressing his sharp blade against the Gray's throat as a warning not to scream. As soon as they were far enough away, Derek dropped his hand, shoving the Gray to the ground and putting a hand on his head.

"Did you see anyone else escape?"

Jesse shook her head. "But Dietze and the crew had gone back to clean up the _Carter. _It's possible they missed the attack."

Derek glowered, kicking at some rocks with his foot. "Lot of good your Triple 8 protector did."

He saw a flash of anger cross her face but she didn't try to defend Queeg. Either she knew Derek was right or she knew that anything she said wouldn't convince him otherwise.

"They took prisoners, you know," Jakes murmured. "Killed everyone over thirty… took the rest to study."

Derek's face went pale and he turned to the Gray furiously. "You mean, a _Gray_ was running this attack?" That's how the Grays operated. It's how _Fischer _had operated. Kill the old, experiment on the others. The prisoners would be taken to the Gray's base where they would be tortured and used to help the Triple 8s or whatever new models Skynet was producing now appear as human as possible.

He ground his teeth together. "Who ordered this attack?"

Jakes smiled wickedly. "Fischer."

Derek's fist clenched. "Where is he?"

Jakes grin widened. "You're a fool if you think I'd tell you…" Derek spun sharply, punching the Gray square in the jaw and sending him back to the ground. Jakes struggled to get up which was extremely difficult with his hands still tied behind his back.

Jesse's eyes had widened in horror at the fury in Derek's eyes. But Derek didn't care what she thought right now. All he could think of was Fischer, the things he had done, why he deserved to die.

Why Derek was going to be the one to kill him.

He dropped down next to Jakes, letting his fist fly once more. "Where is he?!" Jakes remained surprisingly silent in the hail of punches that followed, never speaking a word or betraying his leader.

Derek drew his hand back again and Jesse caught it, staring at him, appalled. "He can't tell you anything if you beat him to death."

The red haze of hatred cleared from Derek's head and he could see the logic in her words. He roughly grabbed Jakes by the collar, dragging him to his feet.

_Fine, _he thought bitterly. _Don't talk. Not until we get to Serrano. I know someone there who can provide the best torture, who can get to you. I know from experience._

No one would do a better job at getting the Gray to talk than John's machine.

**********

**Serrano Point**

"The Mark is a tracer," John Henry said.

Cameron registered the remark, instantly recognizing the logic and truth in it. Dietze from the _Carter _has just reported that Goldfish Bunker had been raided, dozens of people killed and many more taken prisoner. Derek Reese had been at Goldfish. Just a few hours ago, he'd reported finding a Gray and interrogating him.

John Henry's claim made perfect sense. The Gray had located a bunker and Skynet had followed the tracer and destroyed it.

Just like it would come to destroy John if it found out that the Gray staying here had completed her mission. Whether she realized it or not.

She looked over at John Henry. "She has to die."

John Henry didn't nod, but he seemed to understand. "Mr. Ellison taught me that every life is sacred."

Cameron slipped her gun into her holster. "None more than John's. She's a threat to his safety."

"She can't stay here anymore," John Henry agreed.

Cameron turned her head slightly to look at him. "But we can't let her leave."

"He won't want you to kill an innocent person."

"She's not innocent," Cameron replied reasonably. "But I won't do it myself. I'll make her do it. The infirmary has poisons that will kill painless. She'll inject herself."

John Henry considered it, his voice still disproving. "Mr. Connor won't like it."

"John doesn't need to know," Cameron countered. "This is for his own good. He'll understand some day."

*************

**En Route to Serrano Point**

Derek threw the prisoner down in the dirt, watching with bitter anger as the man tried to struggle into a sitting position. It was difficult with his hands tied behind his back.

Derek glanced over at Jesse. "Do you know Fischer?"

"Charles Fischer?" she repeated. "He's top of the list, right? One of the leaders?"

"Yeah. Listen, if this Gray knows where they keep Fischer… we can get in. We can kill him."

Jesse grabbed him by the arm, staring at him with worried eyes. "Derek… what did Fischer do to you? Why are you acting this way?"

Derek's lip twitched and he quickly shook his head. "He's the worst of them. Alright, Jesse? The _worst_."

"What happened?"

"_He_ happened," Derek snarled. "_This_ happened. The same thing, years ago. To me. Our bunker was raided, everyone over thirty killed. I was taken with the prisoners to one of the Gray's camps. He was there. Teaching the Triple 8s how to act human, how to be human. Drugs, starvation, torture. And he was always there, talking, trying to get to you."

Throughout the story, Jesse's eyes had widened in appalled horror over what he had been through. "How did you escape?"

Derek's gaze hardened. He suddenly couldn't take anymore. "It doesn't matter anymore. The only thing that matters is that he needs to die. The day I broke out, I swore I'd find him. I'll find him. And I'll kill him. I swear I'll kill him. I'll take this guy to Connor, maybe let that metal torture him a bit, get him to give up Fischer's location."

"You sure?" Jesse asked skeptically. "He wouldn't respond to your torture. What makes you think Cameron can do any better?"

Derek gave her a cool look. "It's what they do."

**********

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

John sat at his desk, about to play his mother's second tape when he heard the door open and saw Cameron enter, her face neutral.

"You need to know something," she said. "About the Gray."

John's attention was now solely fixated on her and he frowned, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"She's dead."

John stood up quickly, not wanting to believe it. "What? The poison…?"

Cameron shook her head. "No. She killed herself."

John closed his eyes in grief, leaning back against the wall, putting his head in his hands. "Why don't they understand? Why can't they see through Skynet? What kind of person believes that monster?"

"The ones who don't understand the truth," Cameron replied simply.

Someone knocked on the door before opening it hesitantly. "Connor," Perry greeted. "Reese is back. He has a Gray prisoner."

John saw Cameron stiffen ever so slightly but he nodded to Perry. "Thanks."

He hurried out into the hall after Perry.

He didn't see Cameron chamber a round in her nine-millimeter before following.

*******************

**Serrano Point**

**Main Chamber**

Derek dragged Jakes forward, shoving him forward onto his knees. Within thirty seconds, Perry had brought both Connor and Cameron out to greet him. Derek nodded once to Connor.

"Gray prisoner to---."

A shot rang out and the Gray slumped forward, a neat bullet hole in his head, leaving Derek standing aghast with his eyes and mouth wide open. From behind John, Cameron lowered her pistol and looked to John Henry.

"We need to burn the body immediately."

John Henry moved forward towards the body and finally Derek managed to get words out. "What the heck?!"

"He's a Gray," Cameron replied.

"I know!" Derek shouted angrily. "He deserved to die, and I was gonna kill him myself but he had information we needed!"

"You would have led Skynet here."

Derek shot a glance at Connor, who still looked horrified at Cameron's action and just as confused as Derek felt. "What?"

"The mark on his neck. It's a tracer."

"Tracer? It was a Skynet vaccine, against the bio-weapon."

"We've been studying it," Cameron replied. The words came easily, as if she hadn't just taken a human life mere seconds ago. "It is a vaccine, but it's also a death trap. Skynet can trace it. And if Skynet suspects a Gray is changing sides, it'll transmit a signal to the mark which will release a poison into the bloodstream, killing them in less than a minute. He would have died anyway."

Derek looked over Connor, saw him nod once, still looking a little shocked by the sudden death. "She's right."

Derek stared at him in cold fury before he stalked over to Connor, yanking him to the side.

"I'm going out on a limb here to say that she didn't ask your permission before blowing that Gray's brains out."

Connor seemed to have recovered from his surprise, having realized Cameron's motives. He replied coolly. "She doesn't have to."

Derek felt like he'd been punched in the gut. "What?"

"Did you ask permission before you killed Rodriguez?"

"That was different," Derek insisted.

"How?"

"Rodriguez tried to kill you. He shot Allison. You would have killed him yourself if I hadn't done it."

Connor crossed his arms. "You still chose to do it yourself without my permission."

"I'm human!" Derek snarled. "You can't just let these things do what they want! You can't let them make choices like this!" Connor's hard gaze never softened and Derek shook his head, trying to make him understand. "One of them is gonna kill you someday."

Connor shook his head strongly. "Not her. She was doing what she thought was best. She felt he was a threat…"

"Felt?" Derek scoffed. This was the one area in which he had never agreed with John Connor. Not with the reprogramming, not with the trusting the machines, and definitely not with Connor's belief that they were somehow _more_ than just machines.

"No," Derek said firmly. "Connor, that's where you're mistaken. That's what you can't seem to grasp. They don't _feel_. They _process_. They respond to commands from their programming. They can't think, they can't feel. Look at her!" He threw an arm in Cameron's direction, pleading with John to understand. "I understand she looks like Allison and maybe that's part of the problem, but that's not a human being! That's not a real girl!" Connor's eyebrows narrowed further and his frown deepened as he looked away. "Hey, listen to me!" Derek demanded. "She can't love you!"

Connor's eyes snapped up and Derek could see the fire burning in them. "That's enough, Derek," Connor said, his voice deathly calm. "Enough."

Derek held his tongue as Connor turned and stalked away.

*********

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

John Connor sat in his room, staring at his tape player, somehow not finding it in his heart to turn it on. Sam sat at his feet, tongue hanging out of his mouth whimpering, but neither did John have the motivation to play with his new puppy.

He heard the door open and shut softly and didn't have to turn around to know who had entered.

"How did that Gray die?" he asked, his voice low.

There was silence for a moment before Cameron responded. "I shot him in the head with a 17 round Glock 9mm semi-automatic."

John dipped his head, taking a deep breath. "No, not the one Derek brought. The one we captured, the one who wanted out."

"I told you," Cameron replied. "She self-terminated."

"How?"

"She injected an overdose of morphine into her body," Cameron explained. "It slowed her heart rate until she died."

John gripped the edge of the desk. "There wasn't morphine sitting in that cell. Who gave it to her?"

She hesitated and he finally turned around to look at her, his eyes angry and accusing. "Don't lie."

"I gave it to her."

"Why?"

"She was a threat to you. The tracer in her arm would have led Skynet here if she hadn't been eliminated."

"Eliminated." John cringed at the word. "Haven't you learned anything?"

"Every life is sacred."

"Yes!" John insisted.

"But sacrifices are necessary."

John's lips parted and he didn't know what to say. "That's… that's not what I meant. You just… you…"

"She was a Gray, John," Cameron said, her tone a bit gentler now, as if she understood he felt bad. "She chose her fate when she chose to take the Mark."

As much as he hated to admit it, Cameron had done the right thing. By her standards at least. The Gray couldn't have been allowed to live and endanger everyone else in the bunker. There was no escape for her. And Cameron hadn't killed her, hadn't crossed that line, hadn't technically disobeyed him. Not that it made it any easier to accept. Not that it made what she did _right. _

But she _was_ right about the Gray. No matter how the woman had acted afterward, no matter how much she may have regretted her decision, she had chosen her own fate.

She had sold her soul to Skynet.

She'd chosen slavery.

* * *

_On the Next Episode of Born to Fight: JOHN: He was telling the truth. LOGAN: (on radio) Connor… I know you don't trust me. But you have to listen. Skynet must have traced my last call to you. They're coming for us. JOHN: Be ready to sail within the hour. DIETZE: Skynet didn't find him, Connor. He called Skynet. We're walking into a trap. _


	36. Born to Trust

_author's note: Hey, I'm back! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. :)_

_Meanoldmoe – Derek at this point does remember Fischer and what Fischer did to him. And yes, Derek has no memory of this event in TSCC but that will be explained later. _

* * *

_Previously on Born to Fight: LOGAN: (addressing the Grays) We couldn't stop Judgment Day. We could only prepare to rebuild afterward. [Skynet II appears on the screen] LOGAN: I thought the Resistance destroyed you. GRAY: It's alive! DEREK: (sees a mark on the captive Gray) What is that? JAKES: It's the Mark. STORMS: It's also a death trap. It'll release a poison into her bloodstream. [Goldfish is attacked, but Derek, Jesse, and Jakes escape] DEREK: Who ordered the attack? JAKES: Fischer. JESSE: Derek… what did Fischer do to you? GRAY WOMAN: I just want out. JOHN HENRY: The Mark is a tracer. She can't stay here anymore. CAMERON: But we can't let her leave. [Derek brings Jakes in and Cameron shoots him] DEREK: She's not human, Connor! She can't love you! [Logan attempts to contact John] JOHN: If you ever show up here, I'll kill you. SARAH: (on tape) We've been working on a new strategy to defeat Skynet II. The cancer… it's going to kill me, John. Ellison is going to take the plans with him to the new secret base. JOHN: Ellison… he's still alive. The only question is… how do we find him. [Logan flees the Gray base into the Amazon rainforest. He looks up to see a man standing over him] ELLISON: You'd better come with me if you want to live._

**Chapter Thirty Six:**

**Born to Trust**

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Personal Quarters**

John hunched over his desk, fingering the second tape that Cameron had found. More of his mother's ideas or plans or just advice about fighting Skynet. He pressed the play button, listening as she began talking about keeping her promise to stop Skynet.

He cast a quick glance over his shoulder. Cameron was sitting on the edge of his bed, her hands in her lap, a habit she'd adopted ever since he'd informed her that it made him uncomfortable for her to always be standing stoically in the corner.

"We're getting some help finding a way to stop Skynet," Sarah was saying as John tuned back into her tape. "There's a chip designer named Logan whom Danny has recruited to help us find a flaw in Skynet…"

"_Logan_," John blurted out, his brow furrowing as he glanced over at Cameron. "Logan the _Gray_ Logan? He was telling the truth?"

"It would seem so," Cameron agreed logically.

John shook his head, his frown deepening. "But that doesn't make sense. Why would he go through all this trouble to help my mother find a way to stop Skynet, but then turn around and serve it instead? Why would someone do that?"

"There's only one way to find out."

John looked back over to see her staring at him pointedly. "You think I should bring him here," he stated.

"If he has changed sides, he could be a valuable asset," she affirmed.

John lowered his eyes. _But can he be trusted?_

"How do we contact him?" John asked. "How do we find him?"

Cameron didn't seem concerned at all. "He attempted to contact you once already. He will do it again."

She seemed confident, so John merely shrugged. "I hope you're right."

Mere hours later, Yelkov called John into the radio room, claiming there was an urgent message for him. John picked up the radio.

A frantic voice came out of the speaker. "Connor, it's Logan, please don't hang up!"

John could hardly believe his luck. "Logan. We were just talking about you." He saw Cameron smile slightly and he could only imagine her thinking, "_I told you so."_

"I know you think I'm not trustworthy, but you have to come help us!" Logan's tone was desperate. "Skynet must have traced my last call to you. They found our secret base, sent a squad of Terminators to take us out. It's all my fault!"

John's lucky feeling was slowly fading. Sure, he'd found Logan, but it seems that the only way to find the Gray was to engage Skynet. "Where are you?"

"In the Amazon," Logan replied hastily. "There's an underground city here – Zion - filled with refugees and soldiers. The Amazonian militia is holding off Skynet right now, but we can't last too much longer. We need help from the Resistance."

"We'll be there as soon as we can."

***************

**Serrano Point**

**Main Hall**

John stepped into the main hall, finding Jesse in a group with Derek and a bunch of the submarine sailors. "Commander Flores," John greeted. "I'll need both the _Carter _and the _Seawolf _to be ready to sail within the hour."

Jesse seemed surprised. "Why? What's going on?"

By this point, a crowd had gathered around him to hear the news, even though Yelkov was supposed to be making an official announcement in a few minutes.

"We've received an SOS from a hidden city in the Amazon," John explained. "Skynet is attacking them and they need our help."

"Extraction?" Derek asked.

"Depends," John replied. "If we can take out Skynet, great, but most likely it will be an evacuation."

He saw complete obedience and commitment on many of the soldier's faces, and, predictably, Dietze was the first to speak up with his suspicions. "Who is this SOS from? We don't have a Resistance outpost in the Amazon."

John cringed inwardly. This was exactly the question he hoped he wouldn't have to explain until _after _the rescue mission. No mistake, John Connor knew the Grays were traitors as much as Derek and Dietze, but unlike the other two, Cameron had him convinced that maybe there was more to Logan than meets the eye. "It's not Resistance. It came from a man named Logan."

Something registered on Derek's face. "Logan… wait… there's a Gray named Logan. One of the head Grays."

"He's not a Gray," John replied calmly. "Not anymore at least. If he was, Skynet wouldn't be hunting him."

"But he _was_ a Gray," Dietze countered angrily. "That's what we heard. That he was one of the head Grays."

"It would seem that he switched allegiances," Cameron spoke up.

Dietze ignored her words. "He's a _Gray_!" he protested. "It doesn't change what he did, how many people he killed. He serves Skynet! We should just let him die!"

"He has valuable information that John can use," Cameron replied.

"I didn't ask for your opinion!" Dietze snapped harshly.

John stopped in his tracks, raising a warning hand. "Dietze! That's enough."

Dietze's face flushed with anger, but he wisely remained silent. Lauren spoke up hesitantly.

"What's the use anyway?" she asked reasonably. "We couldn't save the last Gray who wanted to change sides. That Mark will kill Logan too if Skynet finds him with us. And they'll trace it if you bring him back here."

Both he and Cameron had considered that. "That Gray captive said Logan had been missing for the past few weeks. Which would mean he probably left before Skynet implemented the mark. Skynet must have found him some other way."

"Skynet didn't find him, Connor," Dietze growled. "He _called _Skynet. It's a trap. An ambush. They're probably waiting there for us."

Even Jesse seemed leery of the idea. "Connor, this is a risky campaign…"

"You can't seriously expect us to risk our lives for a Gray," Derek added, making his own hatred quite clear in his tone of voice.

"No," John said, narrowing his eyes in defiance. "I don't expect you to risk your life for a Gray. I expect you to do your part to rescue human beings who are in trouble."

He could tell he'd gotten through to some people, including Jesse. Derek still looked upset, which was understandable given his lifelong obsession with finding and taking revenge on Fischer.

Dietze curled his lip, but he seemed to back down, still throwing a suspicious glance at Cameron. "Fine. Fine. You go right ahead and listen to your little metal second-in-command. Get even more of us killed…"

"You don't have to come," John retorted. "Stay here and be safe if you're a coward."

Dietze bristled at the comment. "Oh I'm coming. Because when this ends up being a trap, I want to see the look on your face before the Gray kills you."

John raised an eyebrow. "That's comforting."

At the same time, Cameron assured, "That won't happen."

Her adamant promise only seemed to infuriate Dietze further. John was beginning to think the soldier was more trouble than he was worth. Every time the sailor opened his mouth, he seemed to be dissenting authority. Cameron's authority in particular. What made matters worse is that there were several of the soldiers who were starting to agree with him.

Cameron had been studying his facial reaction, the way his eyes had followed Dietze as he left. He had no doubt she saw the anger reflected in his gaze. "I'll kill him for you," she offered.

John's eyes widened in appalled shock. "What? No!" he insisted. She cocked her head, seeming more puzzled now.

"But he was upsetting you," she replied.

"We can't just kill people who upset us," he protested. "Every life is sacred, remember?"

"Yes. I remember," she replied evenly.

He sighed and turned, nearly running into Solo who had been observing the two of them. "Terminating Dietze is not a good idea," he replied.

"Thanks," John muttered ungratefully.

"He still has a purpose to fulfill," Solo added.

As those words took hold in John's mind, he felt a sharp pang in his heart. How could Solo understand that? How could Solo and not Cameron? John understood that he still had a lot to teach Cameron, but still… he hated himself for thinking it, but was Weaver right? Was Solo really more advanced than Cameron?

Was he more human?

He cast a glance back at the two cyborgs who appeared to be in another staring contest.

Finally, after at least a few minutes, Solo blinked and looked away. Cameron gave a small victory smile, but was it really victory for Cameron? John wondered. _Or is it a loss?_

It was perfect mimicry on Solo's part… because no human could ever stare at something for so long without blinking. Solo's reaction to the contest was human-like.

The AIM shifted his gaze to John. "I lost."

As if he was driving home the point that he made a better human. John swallowed hard before hardening his eyes.

"Good," he growled under his breath as he turned and stormed out of the room.

****************

_**USS Jimmy Carter **_

**Docking Bay**

Derek Reese knew better than to believe that someone who turned their back on humanity would suddenly do another one-eighty turn around to the side of the Resistance. He wanted to be ready for whatever they found in the Amazon.

He told himself that he wanted to be ready to protect John Connor from the inevitable Skynet ambush that would be waiting.

But in all reality, he knew the truth. If Logan really was who he said he was, if he really did want to help John, then he would give up the hidden location of the elusive Charles Fischer.

And then Derek would finally be able to take his revenge on the man who had beaten, broken, and used him.

He was about to board the _Carter _when he saw Connor walk up, his face seemingly understanding. "Derek, you don't have to come. I kno_w _how you feel about the Grays."

Derek wasn't sure if John was simply trying to respect his feelings or if he thought that Derek was a liability, a loose cannon for this mission. Either way, Derek was going no matter what. He shook his head, casually inspecting the chamber of his desert eagle.

"I'm coming," he muttered firmly.

"But you think he's a Gray."

"I _know_ he is," Derek replied. "But if you're right and he's willing to give you information, then he'll have to prove it."

John frowned suspiciously. "How do you think he'll prove it?"

Derek slapped the magazine back into his pistol. "He'll tell me where Charles Fischer is."

John's face instantly fell into disproval. "Derek… I don't want you to let your lust for revenge cloud your judgment."

Derek barely registered the words as he re-holstered his pistol before grabbing his plasma rifle and slinging it around his shoulder. "Don't worry about me, Connor," he muttered as he walked past his commander into the _Jimmy Carter. _

***************

_**USS Jimmy Carter**_

**Command Deck**

John Connor stood next to Cameron and Jesse in the _Carter's _command deck, watching as Queeg finished the submerging sequence.

"Fully submerged," Chief of the Boat reported.

"Thank you," Jesse responded crisply. "Alright, Queeg, do your thing." While Queeg kept his steady hand on the controls and an unblinking eye on the sonar, Jesse asked, "Who's on the _Seawolf_?"

"The ranking human onboard is commanding officer Brian Jacobsen," Cameron replied.

"I meant is there one of _them_ on there," Jesse replied, nodding towards Queeg.

"Nemo," Cameron replied.

"Nemo," John repeated, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "Like Finding Nemo or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Nemo."

"John Henry named him," Cameron replied.

John nodded, pursing his lips. "True. So he was probably thinking of Finding Nemo."

Cameron obviously caught the joke about John Henry's child-like personality because she smiled ever so slightly, most likely just for his benefit.

John observed Jesse and Queeg for a few minutes more before deciding, "You seem like you have everything under control. I'm heading to the storage room."

As he turned to leave, John heard Cameron call after him, "Don't forget to let Sam out."

John had almost forgotten that he'd brought his dog along on the trip. Actually, it amused him that it was Cameron who had asked permission for Sam to come aboard and that it was her who constantly remembered to look out for him. The poor dog was probably driving himself crazy trapped inside the storage room.

When John entered the room, he saw that Dietze and Seth were already there, unpacking some food supplies to take to the galley for more easy access.

"Hey, General," Seth greeted with a salute. "I let Sam out for you. He went off almost immediately like he was looking for something. Maybe he was just trying to find the kitchen, though."

"Thanks," John replied.

He reached over and lifted up the lid of a crate, not seeing what he was looking for. John frowned as he continued searching. In the past week, Matt Storms had been able to create two more Isotope Weapons to be used in the rescue mission. He could have sworn he told Cameron to bring them.

Dietze and Seth were still unpacking their crates when Cameron walked in, earning a mistrustful glare from Dietze and a friendly smile from Seth.

She got neither from John. "You didn't load the IFWs?"

Cameron cocked her head. "That was not my responsibility."

"But I asked you to do it," John reminded her.

"No, you said _you_ had to remember to get the IFWs," she stated.

John frowned. Okay, maybe she was right on that part. "But I asked you to remind me because you never forget anything."

"No, you didn't," Cameron insisted. "You said 'I need to remember to get the food'."

From the corner Seth laughed. "Just tell him to shut up," he advised Cameron. "The woman is always right."

"She's not a woman," Dietze corrected with a scowl.

Cameron took Seth's advice. "Shut up."

A grin stretched across John's face. "Wait, were you talking to me or Dietze?"

"You."

"You just told me to shut up?"

Cameron smiled slightly before repeating Seth's comment, "The woman is always right."

"Geez," Seth groaned playfully from across the hold. "You guys argue like a married couple."

"Thank you," Cameron replied.

John shot her a warning look that she ignored. As Dietze and Seth grabbed the last crate of food and headed out the door, Cameron walked over to the other corner and kicked the top off one of the crates, revealing the three isotope weapons.

She looked over at John pointedly. "I never forget."

John's mouth dropped open slightly as she offered him a smile and walked away.

**********

_**USS Jimmy Carter**_

**Main Hall**

When John finally left the storeroom, he heard some commotion in the main room and headed that way. When he entered, he was surprised by the sight. Cameron was sitting at one of the tables, with Sam sitting dutifully by her chair. Several of the other soldiers were trying to call him over to play or give him treats, but Sam seemed to just ignore them, refusing to leave Cameron's side.

John hid a smile as he walked in.

"General," Seth greeted with a big grin. "I was wrong. He wasn't searching for food. As soon as he came out of that cargo hold, he went searching around the entire ship until he found her."

John smiled as he took a seat next to Cameron, patting Sam on the head and whispering in the dog's ear. "You know you technically belong to me?" Sam licked him on the nose and John sat up, smirking at Cameron.

"I think he considers himself more your dog than mine."

The mood was instantly soured when Solo, whom John now saw as Cameron's rival, entered the room. Sam sat up stiffly, eyeing the other machine warily. John watched with interest as Solo's eyes locked on the dog before flashing Sam his trademark roguish smile.

A low rumble started in Sam's throat and Solo frowned. John almost laughed. Despite Solo's surprisingly human demeanor, Sam still recognized him for what he was. And Sam still preferred Cameron's company.

_That's one for Cameron_, John thought, watching with a cool satisfaction as Solo hastily retreated back the way he had come.

*************

Derek Reese sat next to the young private Seth Kohl, having just observed the interaction between Connor's machine and his dog, as well as the disturbing fact that Sam recognized some metal and not others as a threat.

Just like some of Connor's soldiers.

"Even that dog has been brainwashed," he muttered, mostly to himself.

Seth looked indignant. "He just has a more enlightened view."

"Because of you," Derek retorted. He knew that Seth had taken on the responsibility of delivering and training the new dogs in camp.

The young man didn't seem to take offense at Derek's comment. "Cameron was there when Sam was born," he offered with a shrug. "He's grown attached to her, that's all."

"Yeah," Derek murmured. "But you know what you've done to that dog? You've corrupted him. By helping her train him, you've ruined him."

"That's not true," Seth protested. "He reacted to Solo, like he knew he was a machine."

"But he didn't growl at Cameron."

"No."

Derek's eyes remained locked on Sam. As soon as Cameron rose to follow Connor out of the room, the dog moved as well, keeping in synch with her pace. Derek shook his head, curling his lip in disgust. "You know why he growled at Solo and not Cameron? Because that dog sees the same thing that Connor does whenever he looks at her."

"What are you talking about?"

"A girl," Derek stated. "That's what that dog sees. That's what Connor sees. He doesn't see a machine underneath. Just the girl."

Seth still didn't seem to see reason. "What's your point?"

"My point is they're not human," Derek explained, mildly frustrated. "They never will be. We have no idea what is going on in their heads. We have no idea what they are planning. We can't trust them. You can't trust her."

Seth seemed to hesitate. "I understand your point, sir, but I think the General knows what he's doing. I mean, the machines have helped us so far."

"But sometimes they turn on us," Derek replied. "And no one knows why."

Seth's face twisted. "Yeah, but –"

Derek held up a hand. "Seth, shut up." The young private had been sucked into John's view, had already decided that machines were alright to have around.

Seth lowered his head. "Yes, Lieutenant," he murmured.

Derek almost corrected him, almost instinctively responded, "_I'm a Colonel." _But he held his tongue, biting it until he could taste blood in his mouth. His humiliating demotion - just another thing he owed to John Connor's pet machine.

*************

_**USS Jimmy Carter**_

**Command Deck**

John stood in the command deck, watching the readouts as Queeg drove the submarine down towards their targeted Amazon location. He couldn't exactly tell where they were, but Queeg assured him they were on target and would arrive promptly.

Laughter echoed down from the mess hall where most of the sailors had gathered for a meal.

His eyes were still fixated on the readouts when Seth Kohl poked his head into the room, his face breaking into a smile as he saw John. "Dude, your cyborg is an amazing cook."

John cracked a smile. "Is that what's going on out there?"

Seth nodded emphatically. "You should come check it out. She was asking for you."

John looked over at Queeg and the Chief of the Boat to make sure they were alright before following young Seth out into the dining hall. He stopped at the doorway, looking on amused to see Cameron over the stove, flipping what appeared to be pancakes.

John's stomach growled at the sight. Two years ago he would have hated having to eat pancakes again, but now it only made him feel more at home. He glanced around at all soldiers in the room. Derek and Jesse were at one table. Dietze was sitting alone in the corner with his arms crossed. But most of the other sailors were talking, laughing, eating Cameron's pancakes.

It looked like the most natural thing in the world.

Cameron scooped a few more pancakes onto a tray and walked up to the largest table, offering seconds.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," she said pointedly.

Kristin Hamilton took one of the proffered pancakes, grinning widely as she commented. "Haven't eaten food this good in years…"

Cully shook his head when Cameron offered, patting his stomach. "No thanks. I'm trying to watch my weight."

Cameron tilted her head, studying him curiously. "I don't think it's going anywhere."

The other soldiers at the table erupted into laughter. John finally decided to make his entrance, trying to keep a smile off his own face.

As soon as stepped through the doorway, the sailors all noticed him and the laughter stopped abruptly. John walked through, raising an eyebrow.

"What are you all talking about?"

"Just making conversation," Cameron replied with an easy smile. John could see several of his soldiers still grinning. And he didn't even care if they wouldn't tell him. In fact, it greatly amused him that Cameron and the crew were acting that way. It meant that they were all getting along… finally. That they were accepting her. It felt good.

"We didn't mean to bother you," Kristin apologized.

"You didn't," John replied as he pulled out a chair at an empty table. "I smelled the food."

Cameron instantly moved to his side, setting a plate in front of him and taking the empty chair beside him. "I made you pancakes."

"Thanks," John said, taking a bite. "Where'd you get the supplies for pancakes?"

"Perth," Cameron replied. "I told you there were cows in Perth to milk. The rest was from one of Sarah Connor's dropsites. She knew how much you like them."

He wasn't sure if she meant that last part to be sarcastic but he grinned nonetheless. Truth be told, these were some of the best pancakes he'd ever had, though maybe he felt that way because he'd mostly been eating garbage for the past two years.

"It's really good," he commented, taking another big bite.

Cameron smiled again. "Thank you."

A chair screeched across the floor as Dietze rose angrily, finally losing control. "I can't believe you guys! You're all metal lovers! Every last one of you!"

John still had a mouthful of pancake, so Seth was the first to stand and defend Cameron. "She's not evil, Dietze," he protested adamantly.

Dietze smirked. "Really? We shouldn't be trusting them! They're not people!" He pointed at Cameron off-handedly. "That's not a real girl!"

"Connor--" Seth began.

"Connor doesn't know everything," Dietze spat.

Cameron rose from her chair, staring at Dietze. "You should leave."

Dietze squinted, crossing his arms. "What?"

"Return to your rack."

A wicked smile crossed Dietze's face. "With all due respect, you're on my territory here. I'd tell you to go to your bunk, but I forgot, you bunk with Connor." His face twisted in disgust as he turned his attention to the other sailors. "Doesn't that bother anyone else? Can you accept _that_?" Several of the soldiers looked away uncomfortably and Dietze continued. "Doesn't it bother you that there is metal giving you orders? Because it should. A lot."

_Enough is enough. _John stood up strongly, eyes locking on Dietze. "She gave you an order. Return to your rack."

"She–," Dietze began.

"_Now._"

Dietze must have seen the angry, steely look of murder in John's eyes and he finally decided it was in his best interest to obey his commanding officer. The rebellious soldier turned abruptly towards the door, with John following him with his eyes.

"He was upsetting you."

John turned around to see Cameron still standing behind him. He shook his head quickly. "No, he was upsetting you."

The look on her face confirmed it and John felt a righteous rage well up inside him. Dietze had hurt Cameron. And John would defend her. "I'll handle him," he said coldly, turning to follow Dietze.

He caught up to the soldier outside the bunks and grabbed him by the arm violently. "Listen to me," John snapped. "The only reason I allowed you to come on this mission is because the _Carter_ is your home base. Don't make me regret that decision. If you cause anymore problems or if you disobey a superior's orders, _any_ superior's orders, I will relieve you of duty."

Dietze's angry glare never left his face and he turned to leave.

"Yes, sir," John ordered.

Dietze still had his back turned, but John could imagine the soldier curling his lip in disgust. "Yes, sir."

***********

_**USS Jimmy Carter**_

**Mess Hall**

As much as he wanted to, Derek couldn't focus enough to engage in a conversation with Jesse. First it had been the interaction between Cameron and the rest of the sailors that had made Derek's stomach turn. Then it had been Dietze's big blowup and Connor's angry defense of Cameron.

Now, the other infiltrator machine entered the room. Seth was one of the first to look up at Solo, greeting him with a friendly smile.

"Hungry?" Seth offered. "Cameron made pancakes."

"He's a machine, you idiot," Kristin hissed under her breath. "They can't eat."

"I know," Seth replied indignantly. "I was being friendly."

Derek watched as Solo glanced over at Cameron. If he hadn't been machine, Derek would have guessed there was some kind of animosity between the two.

"I don't need to eat," Solo agreed.

The Terminator continued for the command deck and Derek glared over at Cameron's table where John's plate of pancakes still sat.

"Guess you're not hungry, either," Derek remarked. Maybe this would cause the others to see, to understand. They thought of her as a girl, maybe this would make them see the truth.

Cameron stared back at him before reaching forward, cutting off a piece of the pancake and taking a bite almost defiantly.

Derek's eyes narrowed as she swallowed it, her gaze boring into his. The exchange had drawn everyone's attention and he could see Seth's eyes widen.

"_She_ can eat?" he exclaimed. "Never seen a machine that can do that before…"

Derek turned away, staring down at his own plate. Despite the fact that his stomach was growling, he still refused to eat any food that the cyborg had made. His eyes unconsciously seemed to be drawn back to her, watching as she sat at the table, hands in her lap, comfortably waiting for Connor to return.

It was the human-like behavior that was confusing everyone. If all the machines acted like Queeg, no one would be fooled. But it was the infiltrators. Cameron and even Solo who could at times seem flawlessly human. Those were the most dangerous. Because guards were down around Cameron, he could see it in many of the soldiers, especially Connor.

Derek gripped the edge of the table tightly, trying to reign in his building anger. She may have fooled Connor into thinking she was on his side. She may have fooled Seth and Lauren and even Jesse.

But Derek knew the truth. He knew what lay beneath. And what lay beneath was nothing but metal. The machine that had murdered Allison Young. The machine that had gone back on her word and attacked Firebase with the intention of killing Kyle. The machine that had for some reason wormed her way into John Connor's life. The machine that everyone seemed to accept as "one of ours."

_You may have fooled them but not me, _Derek thought to himself, the words burning in his mind.

Because one thing he knew for certain.

Derek Reese would never trust the machine called Cameron.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: JOHN: You're the head Gray? [Logan nods and Derek raises his gun and aims at Logan's head] JOHN: Derek! Stand down. LOGAN: There's some friends of yours here, Connor. JOHN: Ellison? [Terminators break in and a shot rings out. John's eyes widen in horror] CAMERON: His expiration is imminent. [Huge explosion.]_


	37. Born to Rescue

_GoodButSomething – I understand some of where you're coming from, but not everyone is going to agree with John. I'm not sure if you're American or not, but take 9/11 and the terrorist attack. If one of those terrorists suddenly decided to offer his help to America, would you not be suspicious? Would you not be leery to trust someone who helped cause the death of so many people? Wouldn't you think that perhaps he's spying for the enemy by trying to get on the inside? It's the same idea with the machines. People like Derek and Dietze lost everything because of the machines, so when one tries to turn and help, they immediately think the worst._

_Kaotic2 – Um, thank you? __ :) Yeah, Cameron gets sent back but, hey, I did say that there is a Jameron ending, though._

_Luke777 – I like your thoughts on Solo. Even _I _never thought of him like that. :)_

_ScarlettFitch – Actually I had forgotten about Zion in the Matrix. I was thinking of the Biblical Zion when I named the city – since Ellison was the founder of it._

_

* * *

Previously on Born to Fight: SARAH: (on tape) We've been working on a new strategy to defeat Skynet II. Ellison is going to take the plans with him to the new secret base. [Logan flees the Gray base into the Amazon rainforest. He looks up to see a man standing over him] ELLISON: You'd better come with me if you want to live. SARAH: (on tape) There's a chip designer named Logan whom Danny has recruited to help us find a flaw in Skynet. LOGAN: Skynet must have traced my last call to you. They found our secret base. JOHN: We've received an SOS from a hidden city in the Amazon. JESSE: Connor, this is a risky campaign… DEREK: You can't seriously expect us to risk our lives for a Gray. JOHN: I expect you to do your part to rescue human beings who are in trouble. DIETZE: I can't believe you guys! You're all metal lovers! Every last one of you! That's not a real girl! JOHN: Return to your rack, now. DIETZE: Fine. Go right ahead and listen to your little metal second-in-command. Get even more of us killed._

**Chapter Thirty Seven:**

**Born to Rescue**

**_USS Jimmy Carter_**

**Berthing Room**

No matter how much he wanted to, no matter how hard he tried, Dietze couldn't get that image out of his mind. He'd been sitting in the corner when Connor had entered the mess hall, joking around with some of the soldiers, sitting down with the metal cyborg to eat his pancakes. Right from the start, Dietze had been ticked off with the entire situation, with the easy-going way the rest of the crew had accepted the machine, talking and laughing and joking. But it was John's face that proved to be the final straw, the look on the leader of mankind's face when he looked over at the Terminator that he called Cameron.

Dietze had seen that look in Connor's eye, the friendliness, the desire…

The love.

Dietze was laying in his rack, still stewing over Connor's irrational behavior when Seth, Derek, and Jesse entered the bunk room, finding their respective beds. Seth started to climb up to the bunk above Dietze but stopped when he saw the dark look on Dietze's face.

"You okay?" he asked tentatively.

_Of course I'm not okay, _Dietze thought to himself bitterly. Instead, he directed his question to everyone. "What's going on out there?"

Derek Reese scowled. "John Connor and _her _are planning what to do."

Dietze watched Derek's face curiously. He knew how Reese felt about the Grays, but apparently he harbored resentment toward Connor's cyborg as well. Jesse remained wisely detached from the conversation, but Seth Kohl bristled at the way Reese was talking. "You know, you should really lay off Cameron," he advised.

Dietze scowled bitterly. "Don't you start calling it by name too. Just like Connor."

"Connor knows what he's doing," Seth retorted.

Dietze shook his head. Seth was one of the people who still saw John Connor as the hero, the savior of mankind. Which he was, Dietze wasn't going to lie. Connor had led them through some of the hardest times in the war. He had come up with brilliant maneuvers that had crippled and even defeated Skynet.

But John Connor was not infallible.

"Connor's been corrupted," he muttered darkly.

Seth wrinkled his nose. "I don't think—"

Dietze leaned back, recalling the moment in the cargo hold where John and the machine had been playfully arguing about the new weapons. He'd seen the looks, the smiles, heard Seth's words echoing in his mind.

_Geez, you guys argue like a married couple!_

Dietze's eyes narrowed as the implications of that finally struck him. Seth had been perfectly legit in saying it. "You said it yourself, Kohl. Married couple."

Seth's mouth dropped open, recalling the instant immediately. "That was a joke!"

"But it's true," Dietze insisted. "He's in love with it. Can't you see? Connor's a metal lover."

He hadn't been expecting Jesse to be the one to react, but his commander rose from her bunk, a calm but furious expression on her face as she ordered him, "Dietze… enough."

Dietze held her stare for a moment, trying to figure out her own motives. She used to dislike metal. Not as avidly as he did, but she hadn't been overjoyed with the reprogramming idea. Now suddenly she was all buddy-buddy with Queeg and defending Connor to her last breath.

She was a metal-lover too.

Reese spoke up in a low voice from the other side of the bunkroom. "You know what happens when you question Connor's machine?" he asked, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "You get demoted."

*************

**_USS Jimmy Carter_**

**Command Deck**

John felt the submarine slow to a stop and begin to emerge from the water, guided by Queeg. Jesse turned away from the sonar to look at John.

"We're here."

John tried to pull information from the readouts, but couldn't. "What's the situation look like on surface?"

"Leira?"

The young officer instantly reported from the periscope. "Hard to say, Connor. This is the Amazon rainforest. I can barely make out some things through the trees. Looks like laser fire coming from deeper within. I guess Skynet's trying to surround the place. It seems overrun with metal."

"What's the plan, General?" Jesse questioned, waiting for his orders.

John paused, still processing the situation report. With that many machines, they wouldn't be able to make it into the hidden city. He had two submarines full of soldiers and machines but they needed something to tip the odds.

"We need the element of surprise," he muttered, more to himself. "Is there a way we can rig up an EMP?"

Jesse raised an eyebrow curiously. "An EMP?"

"Electro-Magnetic Pulse," Queeg supplied.

"Yes, I know what it is," Jesse replied, furrowing her brow in thought. "Sure, I think we can do it. What do you have in mind?"

"We rig up some equipment that is capable of sending out an EMP. Then we take it and get as close as we can to the city and set it off. The machines will be powered down, giving us time to sneak into Zion and maybe take them out from the inside."

"Element of surprise," Jesse agreed with a broadening grin. "Sounds like a plan."

***********

**South America**

**The Amazon Rainforest**

They'd been hiking for at least ten minutes before John spotted a mountain up ahead. Well, it was less of a mountain and more like a rocky hillside, but he guessed that was most likely where Zion was. The forest wasn't as dense near the mountainside, but John still couldn't see much through the heavy rainfall and the darkness, but he took comfort in the fact that the machines would have a bit more trouble as well, having to rely on infrared.

As he approached, he spotted movement up ahead and suddenly the darkness exploded into light as the attacking Terminators began firing rapidly, some of them using some kind of electrical weapon he'd never seen before.

Cameron, as usual, had pinned him down as soon as the shooting broke out and John lifted his face out of the muddy water puddle, crawling forward across the wet ground to a cover point.

"There," he whispered, gesturing to a cave-like opening. "That's probably the entrance to the city. I need to get close to that in order for the EMP to take out most of the machines inside."

They'd have two minutes to sneak into that hole and hopefully meet up with Logan's militia who were still trying to prevent the Terminators from gaining further ground in the city.

As John watched from his cover, he saw several of his rogues keeping the Terminators busy.

"Now or never," John murmured. "I'll go to that hole and set this thing off."

Kristin shook her head adamantly, speaking up loudly to be heard over the continuous gunfire. "It's too hot. We'll have to find another way to get them out."

John didn't say a word, merely steeled himself and charged forward towards the hole, barely hearing the exchange behind him.

"John does these things," Cameron explained.

John slid to the ground near the entrance, no doubt attracting the attention of several Terminators, but before they could turn to shoot, he pressed the EMP. Almost instantaneously, he could see dozens of dark shapes collapsing and all gunfire and plasma blasts ceased.

John stumbled to his feet, rushing back to where he'd left Kristin and Cameron. Kristin was staring up at him, stunned, and John suddenly saw why.

Cameron was collapsed on the ground, perfectly motionless, her eyes open but dead. John's mouth opened in panic. He hadn't been thinking about her when he set off the EMP. He hadn't remembered that it would take her offline too, because he didn't even think of her as a machine anymore.

Derek approached quickly, spotting Cameron lying motionless on the wet ground. "That's the first good thing you've done this trip, Connor."

"Back in line," John scowled.

Seth Kohl's eyes widened in worry. "How long?"

"One hundred twenty seconds," John said hastily. "But the others will come back online too." He forced himself to stop thinking about Cameron, standing up quickly. "Listen up! I want a squad of you to get inside the building, try to meet up with the militia and help them hold off the Terminators. Go!" The first squad went running into the city as fast as they could.

"That thing probably has enough charge left to send out one more EMP, so that'll give you extra time. Shoot out their chips when you go in, the less of them we have to deal with the better. When they come back online, you can attack them from behind," John finished. He handed Derek the spare IFW. "Derek, use this."

Derek nodded. "Thanks, Connor."

Derek's squad moved out towards the city entrance as well, several of the members blasting out Terminator chips on the way.

"Seth," John said. "I want you to go set off the EMP again as soon as they start to reboot."

The young private nodded and hurried off to his position. "Hamilton, both you and Dietze keep your squads here and keep that entrance clear. Tell us if any more show up."

"Affirmative, Connor," Kristin said before retreating to a better position, leaving John alone with Cameron's unmoving body. He bit his lip, suddenly feeling horrible for not warning her. What was it like for her? Was it like dying?

Her head jerked and her saw the life fill her eyes once more.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "It'll be okay," he assured her before Seth set off the EMP again, once more dropping her back into that death-like state.

John winced, hoping that Derek and the other squads had been able to get far inside Zion and take out a lot of the metal inside. Those 120 seconds seemed to be endless for John until Cameron came back online, staring up at him blankly.

"EMP," he explained hastily. "I should have warned you."

"I knew," she replied, sitting up.

_Right, of course, _John thought to himself. She would have known that him setting off the EMP would have rebooted her. "Why didn't you say something?"

"It had to be done," she replied.

John hesitated, ignoring the sounds of the restarted battle. "What is it like? Do you feel… is it like dying?"

"It's like when you get knocked unconscious," Cameron replied. She frowned. "It is not pleasant."

"Wouldn't think so," John murmured, lifting his IFW and turning to the battle. The machines were still fighting and John could see Solo leading the other reprogrammed Terminators. One of Skynet's machines fired a blast of his electrical weapon at Solo and the machine dropped, twitching.

"What is that?" John asked.

"It appears to be Skynet's Tesla Arc Gun," Cameron replied. "It shoots a stream of electricity to a nearby target at a maximum of twenty five feet."

"Does it reboot him?"

"It will incapacitate a Terminator for the one hundred twenty seconds and incinerate a human."

"Great," John muttered bitterly. "I guess Skynet's been upgrading too."

John moved toward the entrance, waiting for the isotope in his IFW to turn red before firing a blast at a nearby Terminator, decapitating it. He placed a new isotope canister into the weapon and continued for the entrance.

The rain was still coming down in sheets, though John was starting to get used to the feeling. His foot nearly slipped on the wet grass and Cameron caught his arm, helping him up.

"I got it," John growled.

She backed off at his tone and he quickly dispelled some of his anger. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm just on edge."

She nodded as if she understood. "It's the adrenaline."

He didn't say another word, charging forward through the opening and into the underground city. Cameron soon moved ahead of him, keeping an eye out for threats as they proceeded through Zion's tunnels and down deeper into the city. John couldn't stop to sightsee, but it seemed to be a lot like the bunkers, only not as tight and on a much larger scale.

He spotted several Terminators on the ground with their heads blown off, which indicated that Derek had been through here already with the IFW, taking out all the resistance.

Soon enough, John heard the sound of battle coming from a large chamber up ahead and entered to see the Zion militia shooting at the advancing Terminators. John instantly dove behind cover, charging up the isotope in his weapon. While he waited, he observed the other soldiers. The Amazon militia members were wearing some type of body armor and camouflage gear and they were all equipped with standard MP5s and another kind of gun John didn't recognize. Obviously whoever had helped them build this fortress had also been at work designing new weapons.

As he watched, one of the militia lowered his gun, obviously out of ammo. John was about to move to help when the man reached down and picked up a small metal scrap and shoved it in, waiting ten seconds before firing. The metal scrap blasted away part of the Terminator's face with as much power as the shotgun shells Cameron had used when they'd killed Cromartie in Mexico.

"What _is _that?" he asked in awe.

"It appears to be a kinetic based weapon," Cameron replied, studying the design. "It relies on the speed of the object to inflict maximum damage which is why is does not require bullets, just a simple metal object. It must use electro-magnetics to spin the metal at a high velocity and release it when the trigger is pulled."

He glanced down at his own weapon to see that the isotope had turned red. He jerked up above his cover point and fired at the Terminator, blowing it apart before ducking back down.

Cameron fired her own IFW, taking out another Terminator. John quickly slid to another cover point next to Derek, seeing his uncle talking on his radio unit.

"Hammy, are you there? Hamilton, do you copy?"

"Copy, Reese," Kristin replied. "We've still got Skynet outside, but most of the refugees have been evacuated towards the subs. I have a feeling more Terminators will be coming. How long are you gonna be?"

Derek glanced at John once before stating, "Not long. We'll be there soon." He put his radio back and nodded to John.

"Connor," he greeted, speaking up to be heard over the noise. "They say this Logan person is in the heart of the city, the inmost location."

John glanced up at the rest of Amazon militia who seemed to be doing a decent job holding off the Terminators. John waved Cameron over before saying to Derek, "They can hold off the rest of these guys. Let's go."

***************

**The Amazon**

**Zion Underground City**

John headed to the door of the room the militia men had talked about, the one right in the middle of the city. Derek burst through the door ahead of him, his gun instantly trained on the lone figure in the room. John stepped in after, watching as Derek turned the gun from the human to check the rest of the room for threats.

John kept his weapon handy as he approached the figure. "Are you Logan?"

The man nodded, and Derek's head snapped back around, his eyes narrowing. "You're the head Gray?"

"Yes, I was but-."

Derek's gun was instantly trained on Logan's head, a look of murder in his eyes.

"Derek!" John snapped. "Stand down."

At John's commanding tone, some of the determination left Derek's eyes though the hate and suspicion remained as he backed away.

Logan sighed heavily in relief. "Thanks for –"

"Save the gratitude," John interrupted quickly. Whether this man had helped his mother or not, he had still joined with Skynet. He'd still caused so much death. "What has to happen for the head Gray to get a termination order?"

Logan attempted a half-hearted smile. "It's kind of a long story."

John studied him for a moment before deciding, "Well you can explain on the way. We need to go before more of them show up."

"Wait…" Logan protested, heading for the backroom. "I have to get the others."

John saw a flash of annoyance and mistrust on Derek's face. "There's more of you?"

"This place is an underground city," Logan replied as he continued walking. "Not a huge population but a lot."

"Great," Derek mumbled under his breath. "It's a whole colony of Grays. Is it too late to blow the place?"

"Shut up, Derek," John ordered.

Logan unlocked and opened the steel door to the other room. "There's some friends of yours here, Connor."

"Friends..." John trailed off when he saw who came out of the door. Miles Dyson. No… not Miles, though he could have sworn it was Miles back from the grave. John's mouth dropped open and he stared in utter shock. "Danny?"

Danny gave him an easy going smile. "Hey, Connor." He laughed. "It's weird seeing you young again."

"Again?"

"I mean, you're supposed to be a lot older than me," Danny corrected. He glanced back into the other room. "You can come out now."

John watched, his smile widening as Ellison stepped out. Feature-wise, he didn't look like he'd changed that much. What really made him look different was the fact that he was wearing body armor and camouflage gear, completely opposite of his usual suit and tie.

Behind him came a young woman who could only be Savannah. She bore a striking resemblance to Weaver and she smiled brightly when she saw him.

"Savannah," he greeted. "You look… older than me." He leaned over to whisper to Cameron. "I feel really weird."

"Hi, John," Savannah said with a playful smile. "I can tie my own shoes now."

Despite his awkwardness at the whole age difference situation, John grinned back. "Well, I should hope so."

Savannah's eyes locked on Derek who was looking from Ellison to Danny to Logan to her with suspicion. John saw her brow furrow as she took in Derek's appearance and he understood her momentary confusion.

"Not the one who was killed in your house," he said, purposely making sure Derek didn't know they were discussing him.

Savannah nodded in understanding and turned to another young man who stepped out of the room. "This is Cody Phillips," she explained. "He's my best friend." Cody's eyes locked on John's and stared, his mouth dropping open.

John felt a strange flash of irritation. "What?"

"You… you're John Connor…"

_Right. Meet the legend. _"Yeah, who exactly is this?" he asked Savannah. He'd never seen the young man before. Maybe he'd been helping Sarah with her research.

"We'll explain after we get out of here," Ellison replied.

At that moment, one of the militia men burst through the door, clutching his side. "We were swarmed," he panted, struggling over the words. "There's more coming. You don't have… much time…"

John whipped out his radio, dialing the _Carter. _"Jesse! There's a large group of Zion refugees waiting to board the _Carter. _It's getting hot in here. I want you to fit as many as you can on board and take off."

"Understood," Jesse replied crisply.

John switched the radio frequency over to the smaller of the two submarines. "Jacobsen, load up the _Seawolf_ with those refugees and wait in the harbor for the rest of us to get out."

Brian's voice seemed worried. "Is everything okay, General?"

"Yeah, we're great," John muttered back distractedly. "Just have to deal with a little Terminator ambush problem and we'll be heading your way. Cut the chatter and start loading those people."

"Aye sir."

John shoved his radio back into his pack and barked out, "Derek! Quick! C4 charges!"

As he and Derek worked to plant the charges around the large room, Cameron was at the door, keeping watch for the coming Terminators. The rest of the room seemed to be motionless.

"Will this work?" Cody spoke up quietly.

"This is the central point in your city," John replied. "If we lay enough, it should take out most of the machines while we escape through that tunnel."

"We have C4 charges throughout the entire city, too," Dyson said quietly. "We had them set up just in case. The explosion from this room will set them all off in a chain reaction, blow the entire place."

John could see the distraught looks on everyone's face. Everyone except Derek and Cameron that is. And he understood why. This city was their home, had been their home for many years. And there would be nothing left but rubble after they flipped the trigger. Not to mention all the militia or other refugees who would die in the explosion.

Ellison spoke up softly, his voice troubled. "What can I do, John?"

John turned and looked at him with a grave expression.

"Pray."

*****************

**The Amazon**

**Zion Underground City**

Less than two minutes later, John and Derek had finished the last charges right as Cameron lifted her IFW and reported crisply, "They're here." She fired a blast into the hallway before turning and running to John's side, in position to protect him properly. The rest of the humans inside dove for cover as the first wave of Terminators bottlenecked in the doorway, firing their machine guns rapidly.

Danny didn't get under cover fast enough, at least three of the bullets hitting his body. Savannah cried out in horror and Cody clapped a hand over her mouth, hunkering down even further behind cover.

Cameron was shielding John from bullets and John desperately looked toward where Danny lay panting and gasping for breath.

"Cameron…" he whispered.

"His expiration is imminent," she replied, firing back at the Terminators. He suppressed a frown. She usually wasn't so cold or blunt with her comments, not anymore, but perhaps it was just because she was in the heat of battle.

John watched from across the room as Danny reached over and grabbed the trigger for the explosives, giving John a determined look even through his evident pain.

"G-go… without me!"

Derek charged his IFW and fired at the first Terminator, blowing his head off and sending both flying backwards, knocking into some other Terminators. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Derek grabbed John by his sleeve and yanked him towards the exit tunnel.

"Let's go!" he shouted. Savannah, Ellison, Logan, and Cody all hurried into the escape tunnel.

John heard Danny speak up as loud as he could. "desk…d-drawer…"

Derek was still trying to shove John into the tunnel, but John braced himself. "Wait!" If Dyson thought there was something important in the desk…

"Go, John!" Cameron ordered, heading towards the drawer herself, taking several bullet rounds along the way. John hesitated, but Derek shoved him down into the tunnel, rushing to catch up with Ellison and the others.

"What's in the desk drawer?" John demanded as they ran for the exit.

"Your mother's research tapes," Ellison replied.

Comprehension dawned on John. Those must have been the tapes she said she'd be hiding with Ellison, the ones that would chronicle their research on stopping Skynet II.

Finally they reached the entrance, stumbling as far away from it as they could. John instantly felt the difference as the rain began pelting him in the face again. He spotted three shapes running up to meet them, eventually recognizing them to be Dietze, Seth, and Kristin.

From behind him, he heard the explosion and whipped his head around to see the flames roaring out from escape tunnel. The first explosion was followed by a series of others that grew louder and louder as all the other charges throughout the city were set off as well, causing the entire place to go up.

It was like the entire mountain was collapsing.

John felt a pang in his heart because he knew who had flipped that switch. Danny Dyson. Like father like son. Both had sacrificed their lives to help him escape, to help stop Skynet.

The rest of the crew was watching the scene with horror and grief. John felt those things too, but he also felt fear.

Where was Cameron? She should have been out by now, right?

_Come on, Cameron. Blast it! _He wouldn't even consider the possibility that she was dead. She would have grabbed his mother's tapes and rushed out through the tunnel. She'd be coming, walking out of the rubble at any minute…

Derek noticed him standing as still as a statue. "Connor, we have to move!" he said adamantly.

"Not yet," John murmured back, never taking his eyes off the scene. The heavy rainfall had already put the fires out, but he could still see the smoke and the destruction. Maybe she'd just exited the tunnel when the explosion had knocked her offline and in two minutes she'd reboot and _then _come back to him…

"What is it?" Seth asked. "What's wrong?"

"Cameron's in there," Savannah replied.

John could imagine the look on Dietze's face. Fury at realizing what John's hesitation was for. As if he would risk all their lives staying in one place just to make sure a machine was alright. "Leave it, Connor!"

John turned angrily, staring into the faces of all the people waiting. Dietze was breathing heavily, glaring at John and willing him to leave Cameron behind. Derek's face was expressionless. Logan seemed uncomfortable while Ellison's face was a mask of sadness at Danny's sacrifice. Both Savannah and Cody were staring at the collapsed city, eyes wide with horror, hoping as much as he was that Cameron would emerge from that wreckage.

"Connor!" Dietze demanded, more urgently this time.

_Is this right? _John asked himself. _Am I really putting all these people in danger by waiting for Cameron? _He told himself it didn't matter. Most of the Terminators would have been blown up in the explosion. And no one else knew they had escaped it.

He turned back to the ruins and saw a figure emerge.

"Cameron…" he breathed.

Cameron approached, the rain falling almost softly on her. When she was close enough, he saw the damage she'd taken. And he sucked in his breath, his heart wrenching. The left half of her face had been partially burned off in the explosion, her blue eye glowing brightly. For a moment, he felt nauseous. The last time he'd seen her like this was when she'd been taken from him, when her chip had been missing, displaced in time and he'd started his daring quest to get her back.

She looked at him with her one good eye, almost hesitantly, as if she wondered whether this would remind him of what she was underneath. But the truth was, there was no sense of repulsion in his mind, no disgust. To him, she still looked beautiful.

He heard the gasps from behind him and knew exactly what was going through the heads of his soldiers. Seeing her like this had shocked them back into the realization that she was a machine. Even Seth looked away, his face scrunched up in confusion.

But neither John nor Cameron cared what any of them thought. John reached up, gently touching the undamaged side of her face. "I'll fix you…" he whispered, his face twisting in agony. He could feel the wetness on his cheeks but he couldn't tell if it was from his eyes or from the rain.

"There is no damage to my chip," Cameron replied. "It'll just take time to heal."

John swallowed hard and nodded before he turned back to his soldiers, who were all staring, waiting expectantly.

"Let's get to the submarine," he said quickly. The group instantly started moving back through the forest towards the shore, their pace quickening into a run.

John didn't stop running. They couldn't stop, not till they got to the _Seawolf _and were safely on their way back home. Finally, he reached the port and saw the submarine still waiting for him in the harbor.

Before he could take even one step closer, he heard the explosion and suddenly the _Seawolf _was blown sky high, hit underwater by a torpedo. John's eyes grew wide as he stared, shocked at the sight of the destroyed submarine.

"Kraken," Cameron informed. "It's in the water. It sent a torpedo."

Derek's face was pale as he stared at the submarine. "Connor… was that?"

John turned and gripped his uncle by the shoulders, knowing exactly why that wild look of fear was in Derek's eyes. "Not the _Carter_, Derek."

"Where… where is she?"

"Hey," John ordered, trying to snap Derek back into the present. "Hey, listen to me. Jesse was on the _Carter_. They're already gone, back towards Serrano, okay? They just missed the attack."

Ellison spoke up softly. "That submarine. There was a lot of people on it, wasn't there?"

John swallowed hard, lowering his gaze. "At least two hundred. They'd just loaded up some of the refugees."

Ellison closed his eyes in grief.

Cameron was silent before staring at him with her one good eye. "Sam was on the _Carter, _right?"

John nodded once, trying to decide what he should feel about her statement. On the one hand, she didn't seem to feel any pain from the two hundred people who had just died. On the other, she seemed to care about Sam's well-being and that was a start.

Dietze was fuming. "If we would have left when I wanted, if you hadn't waited for _her_, maybe we would have made it to the _Seawolf_ and gotten out of here in time."

"If we wouldn't have waited, we would have been on the _Seawolf_ when Skynet blew it!" Seth shot back.

"We need to go," John said, retreating back into the jungle. They needed a place to set up camp, far away from the destroyed Zion and any Terminators who had survived the explosion. And any that would be coming afterward.

"So," Cody spoke up hesitantly. "You didn't have a plan B?"

"No."

"What exactly did you come here for?"

John glanced over at the young man. "We came to rescue you."

Cody's eyes narrowed. "Good job," he replied sarcastically.

John didn't even have the heart to get angry at the young man. As far as John was concerned, Cody had every right to feel resentful. He'd just seen his home burned to the ground, seen a man he'd worked with sacrifice himself so they could escape, and seen a ship full of his friends and neighbors blown to pieces by Skynet's Kraken.

John understood why he felt bitter.

This rescue mission hadn't turned out at all like John had imagined. Not a simple "go in, kick Skynet's butt and go for pancakes" type scenario. And everyone had tried to warn him too. _It's a risky campaign. You can't risk our lives for a Gray. You'll get us all killed. _

John felt the unmistakable helplessness and despair close in around his heart as he realized Cody was right.

_Yeah. Good job, John Connor, _he thought bitterly.

_Good job._

_

* * *

Next Week on Born to Fight: CAMERON: The loss of Seawolf is not your fault. JOHN: What if I said it was yours? [Cameron looks over] JOHN: What did you feel when you saw that submarine explode? CAMERON: I don't know. [John and company move through the forest] JOHN: We need a plan to get back. LOGAN: I have an idea. But you aren't gonna like it. _


	38. Born to Behold

_Previously on Born to Fight: SARAH: (on tape) We've been working on a new strategy to defeat Skynet II. Ellison is going to take the plans with him to the new secret base. SARAH: (on tape) There's a chip designer named Logan whom Danny has recruited to help us find a flaw in Skynet. LOGAN: Skynet must have traced my last call to you. They found our secret base. JOHN: We've received an SOS from a hidden city in the Amazon. JESSE: Connor, this is a risky campaign… DEREK: You can't seriously expect us to risk our lives for a Gray. JOHN: I expect you to do your part to rescue human beings who are in trouble. [John and his team fight their way into Zion.] JOHN: You're the head Gray? [Logan nods. He brings out Danny, Ellison, Savannah, and Cody. Danny is shot by a Terminator] DANNY: G-go… without me! [Cameron goes to retrieve the tapes. The city explodes and a damaged Cameron walks out of the rubble.] JOHN: I'll fix you… [The team arrives in time to see the submarine explode.] CAMERON: Kraken. It sent a torpedo. JOHN: (to Cody) We came to rescue you. CODY: Good job_

**Chapter Thirty Eight:**

**Born To Behold**

**South America**

**Somewhere in the Amazon Jungle**

Years ago, John Connor had known the jungle like the back of his hand. He'd lived there for a majority of his childhood, hanging out with the natives, training in the forest with his mother. Always moving. He had learned to recognize the dangers in the woods. Hostile natives, deadly creatures, poisonous plants.

But his experiences back then were much different than what they were now. He was still trekking through the treacherous jungle. But he was dealing with a entirely new set of dangers. The Kraken in the ocean prevented any water-based escape. If any Terminators suspected they had escaped the Seawolf explosion, they would be on the hunt. And, according to Logan, one of the Gray's headquarters was not far away.

Although the dangers were still great, it wasn't peril that was on John's mind. What was on John's mind was seeing Danny Dyson shot and bleeding on the floor, clutching the detonator to his chest, sacrificing himself in order for John and the others to escape. What was on John's mind was watching the _USS Seawolf _exploding in a gigantic fireball from a Kraken's torpedo, instantly killing at least two hundred people – both soldiers and refugees. What was on John's mind was seeing Cameron stepping out of the rubble of Zion, half of her face burned off and her blue eye glowing.

What was on John's mind… was _pain. _

He noticed that a few of the younger members of his team were beginning to pant heavily and John realized that they had been moving through the forest at a quickened pace for nearly a full hour. He frowned. He hadn't even realized. He felt numb.

"Let's rest," he said crisply. Everyone gratefully sat down, huddling under the shelter of the trees, their broad canopies partially sheltering them from the rain that was still falling.

John broke off from the rest of the group, slumping against a tree a few yards away. Predictably, Cameron promptly joined him, purposely sitting on his left side so his view of her damaged face would be obscured.

"You're hurt," she stated.

John furrowed his brow. "What?"

She nodded to his arm and John followed her gaze, noticing that the sleeve of his jacket was torn and blackened. _Plasma burn, _he realized. He had probably gotten it during the fight but was so pumped up on adrenaline that he hadn't registered the pain.

Slowly, the numbness began to subside and he finally began to feel again. He touched his arm, wincing. _How could I not have felt that before?_

"Take off your jacket," Cameron ordered.

John's eyes flashed over to her. "What?"

"We need to bandage your wound," she replied evenly.

_Right. _John carefully shrugged out of his jacket, trying not to brush against the burn. Cameron pulled a small first aid kit out his backpack and started dressing the wound. John hissed in pain when she touched the burn, but he had to admit, she was being very careful.

As her gentle fingers began wrapping his arm in a bandage, John glanced around at the rest of his team. Solo was sitting down, appearing to be running constant scans of the surroundings. Which was good, John admitted, even though he resented the other machine. At least one was keeping watch since Cameron was a little busy at the moment. Savannah's head was resting on Cody's shoulder and she appeared to be asleep, or at least trying to fall asleep. Ellison had his head bowed, no doubt in prayer and remembrance for the _Seawolf _victims. Logan seemed uncomfortable with the entire situation, no doubt feeling some pang of guilt for being the reason John came all this way and lost so much.

Seth and Kristin were keeping visual watch while Derek and Dietze were sitting sullenly against a tree. John saw Dietze glance up towards him and Cameron, saw the subtle disgust and hatred flash across his face before the _Carter _Lieutenant looked away.

No one had spoken much since the incident. No one had spoken much since they saw Cameron as she was, saw the metal half of her face.

John glanced back at his arm, feeling oddly disconnected from it. "I didn't feel it," he whispered. "I feel numb. I don't feel it. I don't feel anything."

Cameron studied him for a moment, her face troubled. Then she moved forward until her face was mere inches away from his. She didn't kiss him. Just got close enough to make his head spin violently.

Just close enough to make him _feel. _

She backed away, gauging his reaction.

John swallowed hard, trying to still his heart. "What was that for?" he asked though he had already figured out the answer.

"Did you feel?" Cameron asked.

_Most definitely. "_Yeah…"

"Good. You have to feel. You can't do that again."

He understood. He couldn't afford to become numb, couldn't afford to automatically block all feeling. What if his injury had been something worse than a burn? What if he'd been bleeding this entire time and hadn't noticed because he hadn't felt it? He couldn't let himself go numb again. He had to bury the feeling.

Disconnect the pain.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I just… couldn't take it." Everything had gotten to him. All those deaths, Cody's words… it was ultimately all John's fault that all those people died. "It's my fault."

"No," Cameron replied. "If you had not come, everyone in Zion would have been killed. Instead, the _Carter_ was able to rescue many of the refugees. If you had not come, Ellison and Savannah would be dead too, destroyed along with your mother's tapes and the key to defeating Skynet II."

He knew she was right. This mission was necessary. If only he could make the others believe that. He shivered violently and quickly slid his jacket back on as protection from the rain.

"Are you cold?" she asked.

"Yeah."

She didn't need any more encouragement, scooting closer to him and wrapping him in her arms to preserve his body heat. John shivered again, though that could have been more from her closeness than the cold.

He glanced up at her, and gingerly touched the side of her damaged face, wincing. "Does it… does it hurt?"

"I have pain sensors," she replied. He remembered. She'd told him before. Whenever she took a bullet for him, it hurt her. He knew that. "I can suppress them," she added.

"But you do…"

"Yes," Cameron finished. "I feel."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes."

John hesitated, a part of him dreading to hear the answer. "What did you feel when you saw that submarine explode?"

"All those people died."

"Yeah. How does that make you feel?"

Cameron was silent for a moment and when she spoke he could tell she was choosing her words carefully. "Their loss is regrettable. Every life is sacred."

"So… do you feel… grief at all?"

"I didn't know any of them."

John shook his head. "It doesn't matter. It shouldn't matter if you actually knew them personally or not. What matters is that they were human beings. Living breathing people who all died in a split second. Life just taken away in an instant. It doesn't matter if you knew them or not. It's still a loss of life."

"I understand."

"Do you?"

Cameron stared at him. "You're grieving."

He wasn't sure if she was subtly trying to change the subject or not. Instead, he countered. "But are you?"

"I don't know," she replied simply. John looked away and they fell silent for a moment before Cameron commented. "The loss of _Seawolf_ is not your fault."

"What if I said it was yours?"

Cameron blinked, as if trying to determine if he was being hypothetical or if he actually thought that way.

"You were the one who suggested I come for Logan," John added.

"If we hadn't come for Logan, he would have died. Along with Ellison and Savannah…"

"But think about it," John insisted. "What if I told you that it was your fault all those people died. How does that make you feel?"

Cameron hesitated again. "I'm afraid my answer will not be sufficient for you."

"Try," he pleaded.

"I am sorry for their loss," Cameron said. "They didn't deserve to die."

"Why not?"

"Because humans can't be replaced. Their lives are sacred."

She seemed to understand the concept, but he knew that putting it into practice was another matter entirely. If a mission would result in a high casualty rate, she would still perform the mission if she thought it necessary, not matter what the cost. It was why he still had a lot to teach her. _And so little time_, he thought, feeling a flash of pain. The year 2027 was nearly halfway over. Which meant his time with Cameron was growing short until that dreaded day when he would have to send her back in time.

The day when his heart would shatter all over again.

************

**South America**

**Somewhere in the Amazon Jungle**

The rest stop only lasted for half an hour before the group was moving again. When the sun started to rise, Solo ran ahead to scout the area, finding an animal's cave that they could use as shelter for during the daylight.

John didn't think any Terminators would have been following them, but he wasn't willing to take any chances. They would stay in the cave until night fell again on the Amazon jungle.

They moved as far back into the cave as was possible and soon the darkness that enveloped them made it seem like night again. Derek threw down his pack heavily, and sat down on a small rock. "You should all get some rest," he advised. "We have a long hike tomorrow."

"Rest," Seth repeated dubiously. "With the machines out there?"

John understood Seth's trepidation, but Logan was quick to reassure the young private. "I've lived for years in this area," he explained. "Skynet has a Gray base a few miles or so away but they don't have patrols around. They'll think that everyone who didn't escape on the _Carter_ was killed in the _Seawolf_ explosion."

Seth shuddered nonetheless. "Still… out here, in the open, in the forest… I don't think I can sleep like this."

"Would you like a bedtime story?" Cameron piped up.

John raised an eyebrow and glanced over at her. Seth merely made a face resembling disgust. "I'm not five."

"How about Ellison tell us a story," John suggested. The former FBI agent had promised to explain everything as soon as they had escaped Zion. Now John wanted answers.

Ellison looked confused by John's request. "What?"

"I'd like to hear what happened," John elaborated. "After I left. What happened to my mother, how you got here…" He held up the tapes and portable DVD player that Cameron had retrieved from Dyson's desk. "What's on these tapes that is so important?"

Ellison nodded slowly and glanced over at Savannah and Cody before beginning. "After you… left… your mother and I teamed up to do what she promised you. She wanted to stop it. At first I believed she meant she wanted to stop Judgment Day. But the more time I spent with her, the more I realized that she wasn't trying to stop Judgment Day. She was trying to stop Skynet. She was trying to make sure you in the future would have what you needed to defeat it."

John averted his eyes. It was just like his mother. As soon as she realized that actually stopping Judgment Day was impossible, she'd switched targets, choosing instead to spend her time researching ideas on how _he _could beat Skynet. And her research had proved invaluable so far, enabling him and John Henry to take out the first Skynet.

"So what about the city?" Kristin asked. She and Seth seemed to be interested in the story as well. "How did you build Zion?"

"After Sarah prepared all her safehouses and dropzones, we came here to the Amazon to create the underground city. Danny was able to convince some of the natives of the coming Judgment Day and they in turn helped us build Zion as a refuge and haven for those who believed us and wanted to escape the bombs on Judgment Day."

"So what happened then?" John asked.

"About a week before Judgment Day we returned to Serrano Point, which was the only base we'd created with the capabilities of broadcasting a warning to the world."

"So people believed you? They didn't think Mom was crazy?"

"Some did," Ellison admitted. "Well, most did. But we actually were able to convince the governor of California, Mark Wyman, of the truth. He was able to organize police forces and encourage people to seek shelter away from the cities. He was able to save a lot of lives."

"What happened after… after Judgment Day?" John remembered the letter his mother had written to him and his father, remembered the emotion in every line, the horror and despair she was feeling as she was penning those words.

"We remained in the Serrano Point base for a while until your mother… died. Danny and I built the memorial and sealed off her secret room. About a month later, Skynet found Serrano and attempted to capture it. We were able to escape, but only with the sacrifice of a friend. Then we came back here to Zion."

John had frowned at the mention of another sacrifice. "What friend?"

"One of your mother's friends," Ellison replied.

He was being vague on purpose; John could tell. "The same one who told my mother about Skynet II?"

"Yes," Ellison agreed.

John cast a suspicious glance over at Savannah and Cody, both who seemed oddly uncomfortable. "What's going on?" John demanded. "Who's Cody? Who's the person telling my mother things?"

"He was a resistance fighter sent back," Ellison finally relented. "He told us that we would need a way to defeat a second Skynet as well. He helped us do our research."

"Where is he now?"

"He's dead. He's the one who sacrificed himself so we could escape Serrano."

John paused, trying to take that in. Whoever this resistance fighter was, John obviously sent him back. But where did the Phillips kid come in? "So who's Cody?"

"His son," Ellison replied. "Cody and Savannah became fast friends. They had to. They weren't allowed to see anyone else. We promised to take care of Cody."

"Well, who was the fighter?"

Ellison hesitated again. "We shouldn't say. It might change the future."

John wasn't sure if his plasma wound was making him more irritable or if it was just the stress of the entire past few hours. "How will I know who to send if you don't tell me?"

"You'll know," Cody spoke up ominously. "Believe me, you'll know."

John narrowed his eyebrows, but ultimately decided not to press the issue. "We need a plan," John muttered, sitting with his head in his hands. "We can't just walk back to Serrano, it would take way too long. We don't have that time to spare."

Everyone remained silent, either deep in thought or just waiting for him to issue an order. Logan finally spoke up hesitantly.

"I have an idea," he began. "But you aren't gonna like it."

*************

Derek shook his head, still not believing the plan Logan had just run down. "This is beyond crazy, Connor. This is insane. He expects us to march right into the Gray headquarters, capture their ship dock, and hijack Skynet's Kraken?"

"That's right," John replied calmly.

Derek was irritated. Did Connor not realize that this was a _Gray base_ he was talking about? Marching straight into an enemy camp, using a plan that a _Gray _had come up with? Surely Derek wasn't the only one who was severely doubting this mission.

"He's a Gray!" Derek protested aloud. "He could be leading us right into a trap."

Dietze was quick to join in the argument, as always. "We can't trust this guy, Connor. He's one of them."

"If you don't want to come, fine," Connor shot back, just as annoyed. "_Walk_ back to Serrano."

Derek wasn't sure if Connor was talking to both of them or just Dietze. Not that it mattered. He knew that they would never make it back to Serrano on foot. Still, there had to be another way, rather than setting foot into Skynet territory relying on the word of a Gray.

"We can call the _Carter_ back to come pick us up!" Dietze said, enthusiastically outlining another option. "They can drop off the others and be here in a few days…"

"No," Derek said firmly, trying to control the brief flash of fear he had experienced. "We're not bringing them back here. That Kraken's still out there. We're not losing anyone else." He met John's gaze and knew that the young General knew exactly what he was thinking and not saying. _I'm not gonna lose anyone else I care about. _

"There has to be a way," Dietze insisted, still trying to talk some sense into Connor. But Derek was finally starting to see the logic in Connor's move. It was daring, brash, and bold, and Skynet wouldn't be expecting it. Besides, there was also one good thing about entering a Gray base…

"This base," Derek began, turning to direct his question at Logan. "Is Fischer there?"

Logan cocked an eyebrow. "Charles Fischer?"

Derek fought back a wave of frustration. "Is there any other?"

"No," Logan replied, shaking his head to Derek's dismay. "Fischer's never been to this base. He's in the North America one."

Another spark of hope ignited in Derek's mind. Finally, finally they would find the elusive Gray torturer and Derek would put him down like the dog he was. "Where is it?"

Connor must have heard his low tone, for he cautioned in a warning voice, "Derek…"

"Where?" Derek asked, completely ignoring Connor for the moment.

Logan hesitated, his eyes flipping back and forth from Connor to Derek, as if wondering if he should hold his tongue or not. Suddenly Connor was at Derek's shoulder, grabbing his jacket sleeve tightly.

"It doesn't matter," he said firmly, forcefully. "Drop it, Derek. We need to focus on getting back to Serrano first."

"The moment we do," Derek replied, his voice low. "He's going to tell me where to find Fischer. Or I'm going to blow his head off. Don't think I won't."

"I have no doubt," Connor agreed. "But don't kid yourself, Derek. This isn't a test of Logan's loyalty. It's a chance for you to slate your lust for revenge."

Of course it was. Derek knew that. He knew in his mind how irrational his need for vengeance was. Killing Fischer wouldn't take back all the things he'd done to Derek and the other prisoners. But it would make him pay for that. And it would give Derek peace.

And if only for that reason, that sense of justice, Derek would follow through with his self-ordained execution mission. Connor seemed to register the exact moment when Derek's face changed, hardening into steely determination.

Connor frowned, no doubt disappointed. "Listen to me," he demanded. "If you can't learn to control your hatred and let it go, you're gonna get someone killed."

Derek stared after Connor as the young General stalked away.

"Maybe someone's supposed to get killed," he replied, speaking more to himself than Connor.

_Someone like Fischer._

************

**South America**

**Somewhere in the Amazon Jungle**

John had already decided they were going to attempt Logan's plan, no matter what Derek and Dietze had said. There was no other option. Calling the _Carter_ back was a huge risk with the Kraken still in the water. And they would never survive walking back home. The only other option was Logan's.

As Logan led the way up the trails on the way to the Gray base, John decided that it was about time Logan gave him some answers. "So what's your connection to all this?"

Logan remained silent for a long moment, hesitating, causing Cameron to speak up, "He's talking to you."

"Before Judgment Day, I was an engineer at Broadcom," Logan began. "I ended up working with your mother as she tried to find a way to defeat a computer program called Skynet."

"Cut to the part where you betray Sarah Connor and join the Grays," Derek cut in irritably.

Logan looked unnerved by Derek's demand, but he readily complied. "I realized that Judgment Day was inevitable. So instead, I decided that the human race needed to be prepared to clean up afterwards. Skynet was in charge of the land and the resources so I decided to make a deal with it."

"What deal?"

"It didn't have the muscle to enforce the rules of the land, so I offered to lead the design team to build humanoid robots. They were built to withstand tough conditions that humans couldn't. After the war, I knew we could use these machines to help rebuild the world."

"You built the Terminators. For Skynet," Dietze's voice was low and unwavering, his anger building. Finally, the _Carter _Lieutenant reached forward and grabbed Logan by the neck, murder in his eyes. Solo instantly cut in, yanking Dietze' backwards violently.

"Do you know what you've done?!" Dietze screamed.

Logan looked troubled and guilty. "It was like a child and I thought I could control it."

"How about now?" Dietze shot back. "Still think that way?"

"Stand down, Dietze," John ordered.

"Explain how you became leader of the Grays," Derek said, crossing his arms.

"Skynet offered food, shelter, and protection to anyone who would serve it in any capacity - engineers, scientists. I got several other environmentalists to join me. We had our own agenda to clean up the earth using the Terminators. In exchange, we all pledged our allegiance to Skynet."

"Slavery," John repeated, remembering the Gray woman who had been in his camp not long ago.

"I thought I could do more good on the inside."

Derek snorted in disgust. "Explain that."

"I was the leader of the design team for the weapons. I kept Skynet from using any nuclear or bio-terror weapons on the resistance. I kept it ahead of you so that it would feel secure, but I kept it from getting too ahead so that you would still have a chance."

"So why not stay?" Derek countered. "Why'd you leave now?"

"Skynet II happened. It's different, worse than the first. It claimed to be god-like. This one wasn't scared like the first. The first Skynet wanted all humans destroyed, I know that now. It was acting in self-preservation and I thought I could control it. But this Skynet… I can't control it. And I couldn't worship it, not like many of the others were willing to do. So I had to get out."

"You got out soon enough," John said. "I assume you haven't heard about the Mark?"

"Mark?"

John saw Ellison glance up. "Skynet's been forcing all its subjects to get this Mark," John explained. "In the shape of 'WWW'. They unleashed a bio-weapon against us that was slowly wiping out entire bunkers. The Mark is supposed to be a vaccine for the virus, but it's also death. It contains a poison that can be released into the Gray's bloodstream if Skynet ever thought they were wavering. We captured several Grays, but we couldn't remove the Mark either. If tampered with, the poison releases."

"No second chances," Cameron put in.

Logan's face twisted and John could see he was taking the news hard. From his position behind them, Ellison spoke up.

"The Mark…" he repeated.

John frowned as he turned to regard the former FBI agent. "What?"

"Revelation," Ellison stated. "You say this new Skynet II thinks it's a god?"

Logan nodded. "Yeah. It came back online claiming it had risen from the dead or something. Then it demanded our servanthood."

Ellison glanced over at John, his face completely serious. "Have you heard the story of the Antichrist?"

"No."

"Yes," Cameron stated at the same time.

"'And I looked and behold, a pale horse and his name that sat on him was death. And Hell followed with him'," Ellison quoted. "Revelation speaks of a beast in the end times that will rise from the dead and claim to be God. And many people will worship him." He leaned forward, deadly serious. "Do you know what the letter W is a symbol for in the Hebrew?"

"No."

"Six."

"WWW," Cameron offered. "666."

"The Mark of the Beast," Ellison finished. "Revelation 13:18: 'No one could buy or sell without this mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. Let the one who has understanding find the meaning of the number. Its number is 666.'"

"Skynet," John deduced.

"The beast forces all people to have a mark," Ellison continued. "'Those who did not take it were killed. But for those who worship the beast and receive the mark will drink the wine of the wrath of God.'"

John paused, letting all the information sink in before he finally glanced over at Cameron. "You were right," he said, remembering her words when they'd been discussing the Gray woman's options. "No second chances. Their choice was permanent."

"Guys!" Kristin hissed from her position up ahead. "Quiet! We're here!"

John instantly crouched down, the others quickly following suit. He peered through the brush to see the Gray compound up ahead. He couldn't see any guards outside, but he had no doubt that there was bound to be some around.

Dietze spoke up bitterly. "This is insane," he muttered. "There's what, eleven of us against an entire base of Grays and Terminators…It's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible," Ellison replied evenly. "Do you know the story of Gideon?"

Dietze rolled his eyes. "Is this another of your bedtime stories?"

"It's not a bedtime story," Ellison stated firmly. "Gideon started out with an army of thirty-two thousand men. But God told him to cut his army down again and again until he was left with only three hundred men. And Gideon took those three hundred men into battle."

"Three hundred is a lot more than eleven," Dietze shot back.

"We're not going up against an army of thousands," Ellison replied calmly.

"He's got a point," Seth added with a small grin.

John inserted a new isotope cartridge into his IFW, keeping his plasma rifle at the ready also. He cast a glance over at Cameron. It had only been a day since the _Seawolf_'s destruction, but he could already see that she was starting to heal. Of course, he knew it would take time. The damage this time had been much worse than anything he'd seen before.

Except for once, right after he'd convinced her to rescue his mother. Right after he'd given her the choice, that if she truly loved him, she would defy his mother's orders and help him get her back.

It had cost her so much.

She caught him staring and straightened. "Is something wrong?"

John shook his head. "No," he replied. "Nothing's wrong." He hesitated, gesturing towards the Gray base. "Do you think this will work?"

Cameron cast a quick glance at Ellison before replying, "It worked for Gideon." Before he could respond to that, she started forward, following behind Solo as the other infiltrator started up towards the Gray base, keeping to the shadows.

John quickly stood up to follow, pushing through the brush, keeping his eyes on Cameron, hearing the soft footsteps on the dirt that let him know the rest of his team was following.

Cameron shot the Terminator that was guarding the side entrance and removed his chip, gesturing for the humans to approach. John quickly moved up to place his hands on the door, ready to open. He paused and turned to Ellison. "What happened?" he asked. "In the story about Gideon?"

"God delivered the enemy into his hands," Ellison replied calmly.

John took a deep breath before steeling himself. "Let's pray he does the same here." He pushed open the door and burst into the hallway. Solo and Cameron took the lead, with Cameron shooting her IFW to decapitate the machine guards in the immediate vicinity.

John's pulse was pounding as he followed Cameron and Solo further into the facility. Logan had described to them the layout of the base, as well as the location of the submarine dock where the Kraken would be.

"Connor!" Derek hissed, running to keep up. "There's no resistance yet. You wanna know why? Because he's leading us into a trap."

The thought had crossed John's mind but he'd dismissed it quickly. "Unlikely," John replied. "Logan broke out of here. Not on a mission, but because he refused to do what Skynet asked. Maybe the reason we haven't met much resistance is that someone spotted us when we entered and rushed to tell the others."

"As in waiting to ambush us all at once," Derek repeated.

John scowled. "Why do you have to be so negative?"

"I'm living in the apocalypse, Connor," Derek replied dryly. "Why do you think?"

Up ahead, Solo and Cameron skidded to a halt and suddenly John could see why. At least a hundred Grays were surrounding John and his group, weapons pointed at them, faces alight with hatred. John's mouth went dry and Dietze shot him an angry "I told you so" look.

But Logan looked just as dismayed as the rest of them, raising his hands slowly in the air. John lowered his weapon. There was only one thing they could do. Surrender and hope that they could find a way to escape and steal the submarine later.

John expected the Grays to either shoot them right there, or step forward to take them into custody. He never expected them to fall forward.

But almost in unison, all the grays pitched forward, their eyes wide with fear. Some of them tried to talk, but no sound came out. They were dying, John realized.

John lifted his gun again, keeping it trained on the fallen Grays. "What is this?" He looked around, puzzled. "What's going on?"

Ellison gave him a pointed look. "God delivered the enemy into your hands."

John stared back, stunned at the circumstances.

"It's the Mark," Cameron spoke up. He looked over to see her crouched beside one of the now-dead Grays, a finger on his neck, doing a scan of his body. "Someone triggered the poison to release."

"Skynet?" John asked, brow furrowed in confusion. "That doesn't make sense. Why would it kill them?"

"I don't think it was Skynet," she replied. "I think it was John Henry. I think he found a way to hack into the system and program it to release the virus."

John chuckled. John Henry always seemed to make things happen right in the nick of time. No matter how far away he was.

Cameron stood up, staring at him with a worried expression. "Why are you laughing? All these people are dead."

For a moment John just stared as he comprehended her words. Because she was _right. _It didn't matter if they had been evil or corrupted or not… they were still people. And they were still dead. Over a hundred. At least half the number of the people who had died yesterday in the _Seawolf _explosion.

As he stared at Cameron's perplexed face, he realized it. She had recognized it as a loss of human life, just like he had told her. He didn't think she grieved them or felt anything like remorse for them, but she recognized it for what it was.

_Death._

"You're right," he said aloud. "There's nothing funny." She continued staring at him, observing him. John heard a shout from down the hall and Seth Kohl called out, "I found it! It's docked!"

John instantly broke into a run along with everyone else. As they entered the room, John stared at the Skynet attack sub that was docked. It was huge, with appendages almost like tentacles, no doubt for latching onto enemy subs and either dragging the whole thing back to base or ripping it apart right there.

Solo overrode the control panel and the submarine hatch opened. Solo climbed down first, with John right behind him. While the AIM made his scouting round through the east end of the ship, John quickly made his way towards the command deck. A submarine like this was probably fully automated, like the HKs. They would just need to have Cameron or Solo disconnect the ship's link to Skynet.

"Let's go," John called behind him, urging the others to move quickly. "Let's get out of here before any more Terminator patrols show up."

He turned the corner, finally reaching the command deck, with Cameron and the others right behind him. As soon as he stepped through the doorway and saw what else was in the room, he froze, his veins turning to ice. Standing by the controls was a Terminator endoskeleton, its red eyes locking on John and instantly recognizing its target.

John never had a chance to move, barely had time to register what was happening. The Terminator lifted its pistol, aiming at his heart.

Two shots rang out and John's body jerked backwards from the bullet's impact. He felt the sudden flash of pain, the burning sensation in his chest and lungs, felt himself falling. Before he blacked out, Ellison's words rose to the front of his mind.

_And I looked and behold, a pale horse and his name that sat on him was death. And Hell followed with him._

_

* * *

Next Week on Born to Fight: DEREK: Let's go! DIETZE: Who made you in charge? DEREK: You did, just now. By acting disrespectful towards your commanding officer who is dying in that room. SOLO: Lieutenant, it appears we have a problem. It's another Kraken. DIETZE: We're dead! There's no way we can beat a Kraken. [Two explosions rock the enemy Kraken.] DEREK: Is it down? SOLO: No. It's retaliating._


	39. Born to Protect

_As always, thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing this story. Obviously, I can't really let John die because, well, then the story would be over. But I'm glad it did shock some of you. :)_

_Luke777 – The whole T-1001 story is coming, don't worry. All the liquid metal that Matt Storms created are still at the island SRD where the rest of the human scientists are. Skynet does not control it anymore, but that's not to say they won't attempt to regain it. :)_

_

* * *

Previously on Born to Fight: JOHN: We've received an SOS from a hidden city in the Amazon. DEREK: You can't seriously expect us to risk our lives for a Gray. [John and his team fight their way into Zion.] JOHN: You're the head Gray? [Logan nods. He brings out Ellison, Savannah, and Cody. The city explodes and a damaged Cameron walks out of the rubble.] JOHN: I'll fix you… [They arrive in time to see the submarine explode.] CAMERON: Kraken. It sent a torpedo. JOHN: We can't just walk back to Serrano. We need a plan. LOGAN: I have an idea. But you aren't gonna like it. DEREK: He expects us to march right into the Gray headquarters, capture their ship dock, and hijack Skynet's Kraken? [John and his team infiltrate the Gray base.] SETH: I found it! [John enters the Kraken command deck to see a Terminator waiting inside. Two shots ring out and John falls to the ground…]_

**Chapter Thirty Nine:**

**Born to Protect**

**South America**

**Gray Base**

**Kraken**

Derek had watched the scene unfold in horror. The Terminator turned and raised its pistol, aiming it directly at John's heart. And it would have shot him, would have been perfectly on target. Cameron instantly seemed to register that she could not get to John in time to intercept the bullet, for she shot her own weapon a split second before the other machine. Her bullet hit the Terminator right as it pulled the trigger, throwing off its aim slightly so that the bullet hit the right side of John's chest instead of his heart.

Cameron's split second, calculated thinking had saved John's life.

For now.

Now, Derek watched in stunned horror as Connor's body hit the floor, his eyes closed. He was vaguely aware of Solo rushing forward and grappling with the Triple 8, the newer model able to overpower his opponent, using some electrical cords to short out its power and ultimately remove its chip.

Derek crouched down next to Connor and Cameron who had instantly appeared at John's side as soon as he'd fallen. She pressed her hands on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding and no doubt assessing the situation as she did.

Cody and Savannah dropped to their knees by Cameron, both of them looking shocked. Ellison, Logan, Kristin, Dietze, and Seth stayed back, giving Cameron room to work, but Derek could tell they were all worried.

Cody's voice seemed unusually desperate. "Can you save him?"

Cameron's response was completely un-machine like. Almost panicky, filled with fear, as if she truly cared if Connor lived or died, which Derek knew to be impossible. "I _have_ to save him."

Derek didn't know what she was going to do, but out of everyone, she was the most qualified to perform any medical attention. He quickly rose to his feet, deciding to take charge. Technically, with Connor down, the leadership would have transferred to his second-in-command, Cameron. But Derek was most definitely not in the mood to be taking orders from a metal and besides, Cameron seemed a little occupied at the moment anyway.

"Alright," he ordered. "Let's get this thing ready to sail! Hurry, before more of them decide to investigate."

Dietze, being the only one of them who was actually experienced with submarines took the lead getting the sub ready to make way. Solo disabled the ship-to-ship transponder so that any other Krakens in the water would not detect them. Reluctantly, both Dietze and Derek agreed that Solo should be the one to pilot the Kraken, since it was a lot faster and more complex than even the _Jimmy Carter. _

While they were all busy, Derek noticed that Cameron had slipped away with John, no doubt to an infirmary or medical room. Derek wasn't even sure the Kraken would have one. After all, it was piloted by machines.

"Kohl," Derek barked. Seth looked up, standing at attention. "Go check Connor."

"Yes, sir."

The young private rushed off and Derek turned his attention back to the control panels, trying to keep John Connor's condition off his mind. The bullet hadn't hit his heart, but what if it had hit his lung instead? What if the lodged bullet was doing even more damage? What if he was bleeding to death?

Derek clenched his fist, hardening his face. The only thing he could do for Connor now was to get them back to Serrano as fast as possible, where Lauren Fields could provide the best medical attention.

"This thing can move a lot faster than the _Carter_," Derek remarked, standing behind Solo as the machine effortlessly maneuvered the Skynet attack submarine through the water. "It should take only about three days to get back."

Seth re-entered and Derek looked up quickly. "How's Connor?"

"I don't know," Seth replied. Derek heard a bit of hostility in his tone. "She won't let anyone in to see him."

Derek frowned. _Won't let anyone in? _"What?"

"I mean, obviously he's still alive and she's trying to heal him," Seth amended. "But she's locked the room. Won't let anyone else in."

Dietze's face flushed with anger at that news. "This is what I'm talking about, Reese," he snarled. "You know this. Those machines are trying to get in, to get beneath our guard. They have a plan and I sure as heck know that plan is not to help us humans win this war."

"That's not true," Savannah protested. "Some of the machines are good."

Dietze regarded her with loathing spite. "So you're one of them too? A metal lover?"

"No… I just…"

Dietze let out a barking laugh. "This is what we risked our lives for? To save a Gray and a bunch of metal lovers? That's why all those people on the _Seawolf _died?"

"They were already dead," Ellison said. "Skynet would have killed them all when they were trapped inside Zion. John Connor was trying to save their lives. Unfortunately, he only succeeded in saving half, the half that got on the _Carter._"

Derek kept a straight face, though his thoughts were in great turmoil. Truth be told, Ellison was right. And no matter what anger Derek had felt and still felt towards Logan, the rest of the people at that Amazon city were not evil. They were all human beings. With John lying in a room, possibly _dying _from a bullet shot, Derek found that he couldn't remain angry with Connor's decision to come rescue those people.

"Alright!" he snapped. "No more talk. Let's just get back to Serrano."

Dietze squared his shoulders. "Who made you in charge?"

"You did," Derek retorted. "Just now. By acting immature and disrespectful to your commanding officer who is _dying _in that room."

Dietze's mouth snapped shut and didn't reopen, obviously seeing the righteous anger in Derek's eyes. Derek turned back to monitoring the sonar, trying to keep the gravity of their situation off his mind.

Derek may not agree with everything Connor did, but Connor's decisions had always ended up working out for the best. No one else could have come up with the strategy to take out the first Skynet. No one else had machine spies on the inside that had helped Connor out. Derek knew for sure that no one else could do what Connor did, could make the sacrifices necessary. When Derek had lost his brother, he had lost control. He'd almost killed himself from grief and hopelessness. Connor had lost nearly everything. He'd lost his mother, Allison, Kyle – the father figure in his life, as well as countless other friends. He'd seen more loss, had sacrificed more than anyone else Derek knew.

No one else could do what he did.

If John Connor died, they would lose.

*************

**Kraken**

**Command Deck**

Derek had no way of keeping track of time, wasn't sure how long he'd sat sullenly, staring at the sonar in the command deck of the Kraken, watching as Solo continued steering the ship back towards the former United States.

So far, he hadn't seen any activity in the water, no enemy Krakens or even the _Carter. _He was grateful for that. Any interruption or delay could cost John Connor his life.

Dietze had been sitting in the corner, arms folded, every once and a while casting suspicious glances in Solo's direction. Everyone else had split off, either to rest or check out the rest of the ship they had commandeered.

Seth entered the command deck, his face still troubled. "She hasn't come out and neither has Connor," Seth reported. "It's hard to say what's going on in there."

Derek's jaw clenched. He'd never trusted Cameron and he didn't think he ever would. Especially if she kept doing things like this. For all he knew, she could have already terminated Connor.

Kristin Hamilton came through the entryway. "Hey guys, guess what," she announced.

Derek looked up disinterestedly, his mind still on Connor and Cameron and their critical predicament. "What is it, Hammy?"

"Did you know that this thing has mini-Krakens attached to it?"

"Mini-Krakens?" Dietze spoke up from the corner, smirking. "Like babies? This is a ship, remember?"

"A _Mother_ship, you idiot," Kristin shot back before returning her attention to Derek. "They're attached to the ship, eight of them. Four on each side. I just went in one. They have the same design as this big Kraken except much smaller, only big enough for one person, two if they squeeze."

"What are they for?" Seth asked curiously.

Kristin shrugged. "Escape pods?"

"More likely it's an offensive tactic," Derek spoke up.

"Like what?" Kristin asked.

"These mini-Krakens can probably be used as weapons to attack other subs without risking the mothership," Derek surmised. "They can be sent out in different directions to search for enemies, probably in contact with the mothership the entire time."

Kristin lapsed into silence, obviously detecting the feeling of dread in the room. "How's Connor doing?"

Seth remained silent and Dietze snorted bitterly.

"I don't know," Derek said quietly. "I don't know."

**************

**Kraken**

**Medical Station**

All John saw was darkness.

At first he thought he was dead or at least close to it, but no… if he was dead, he wouldn't be feeling this much _pain. _He opened his eyes, letting out a hiss through his teeth. Cameron had to her back to him, poised over the counter, but at the sound, she turned around and he could see that her hands were covered in blood._ My blood, _John thought, feeling a wave of nausea.

She came to his side, her eyes holding a worry he hadn't seen before. "I took out the bullet."

_Right… _He briefly flashed back to the moment, hearing the two shots in his mind, feeling himself fall. "You mean bullet_s_?"

"No. You were only shot once."

John squinted, his vision still swimming as he tried to concentrate and remember the moment better. "I heard two shots." Had one missed? It didn't seem possible, not when the one shooting was a Terminator.

"I shot the Terminator's hand," Cameron explained. "It threw off his aim so the bullet didn't hit your heart."

"So you saved my life. Thank you."

Even through the haze of pain, he saw her smile. "You're welcome."

"How long was I…"

"Fifteen hours, twenty seven minutes," she replied. "Derek has assumed command. We captured the Kraken and we've been on our way to Serrano."

"Am I… am I okay?" he asked hesitantly. The pain was still intense, though he'd been trying to bury it. If she got the bullet out, did that mean he would just need time to heal? "It hurts…"

Cameron hesitated. "You still need medical attention…"

…_Or you're gonna die, _John finished mentally. "Lauren…" he murmured. "She'll know…" He wasn't sure if it was from the pain or blood loss, but he felt himself losing consciousness and he dropped back on the table, faintly hearing Cameron's voice frantically calling his name.

****************

**Kraken**

**Command Deck**

Derek had resorted to pacing back and forth across the command deck, every once in a while glancing over at their location on the sonar map. Dietze had taken a turn monitoring the readouts for Solo. Logan and Seth were gone, the latter still probably trying to check in on Connor. Everyone else was sitting quietly in the command deck, providing a disheartening atmosphere of gloom.

Derek heard the clattering of combat boots before Seth burst into the bridge, looking worried. "You know those mini-Krakens?" he began.

"Yeah," Derek replied, frowning.

Seth looked at Kristin. "How many did you say there were?"

"Eight," Kristin replied easily.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," Kristin replied. A moment passed and she turned to Seth, frowning. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I was just wandering around and I noticed that one seems to be missing."

Derek spun around, staring at the young private. "What?"

He followed Seth down the narrow hall until they reached the access hatch for the mini-Krakens. Sure enough, one of the tiny ships was gone. A sinking feeling settled in Derek's stomach and he was suddenly moving instinctively, rushing to the room where Cameron was keeping Connor and banging on the door.

"Open up! Hey!" There was no answer, not even a sound. Derek drew his plasma rifle and blasted the lock, shoving open the door and entering the room. It was completely empty. No Cameron. No Connor.

He noticed the blood on the table and swallowed hard. That was a _lot_ of blood.

"She's gone," Seth murmured. "She took him."

Derek stormed out of the room and back up into the command deck where Solo was still at the helm. "Run a scan or something. Are there any mini-Krakens in the water?"

Solo was silent for a moment before responding, "Negative, Lieutenant Reese."

Derek put a hand on his chin, closing his eyes. "Why would she take him? Where would she be going?"

Everyone was silent for a moment, stewing over his question when Savannah spoke up softly from the corner. "She's going to save his life."

Dietze's eyes snapped open and he glared at her, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Don't spin that crap about her actually caring about him. This is probably what she wanted all along. We're all going back to Serrano. Why would she just kidnap him and ditch us?"

"She didn't," Solo piped up. "The mini-Krakens are capable of reaching underwater speeds of 85 knots, which is approximately forty knots faster than this ship. If John Connor needed immediate medical attention, she must have understood that taking a mini-Kraken would be the quickest way for him to get it."

Even if Solo was right, why couldn't Cameron have let them know? Did she think they wouldn't have let her leave, wouldn't have trusted her that she was trying to save Connor? "She didn't tell me," Derek muttered moodily.

"She didn't have to," Savannah pointed out. "Technically, she's the one in charge."

Derek glared over at her.

"Lieutenant," Solo snapped, his voice urgent. "It appears we have a problem."

Derek turned back to the metal driver, his eyes flashing from Solo to the readouts where he saw a blinking dot on the sonar.

"What is it?" Derek demanded. "What's wrong?"

Solo's voice was deathly calm when he replied, "It's another Kraken."

The stunned silence that fell over the room was deafening. Derek's jaw dropped slightly as his mind started working out possible solutions.

"See!" Dietze blurted out vehemently. "I knew this would happen!"

"What are you talking about?" Seth demanded.

"She led us out here," Dietze explained angrily. "Took off in the escape pod, and sent the other Kraken to kill us. She's on their side, just like she's always been…"

"Just shut up!" Derek ordered, silencing the man instantly. "We need a plan."

"A plan?" Dietze protested. "We're dead! There's no way we can beat a Kraken."

"We are _on_ a Kraken," Solo pointed out calmly.

"So we're disguised," Savannah concluded. "Does that mean we can just sneak by them?"

"No," Solo replied. "I disabled the ship to ship transponder. When that other Kraken realizes it has no communication with ours, it will attempt an investigation."

"So we need to hit it first before it figures that out," Derek finished, a plan finally beginning to form. "Do those mini-Krakens have a self-destruct feature we can operate remotely?"

"Yes," Solo replied.

"Launch two of them at that other Kraken," Derek ordered. "They can latch onto it and detonate, hopefully destroying or disabling it."

"Two?" Dietze protested. "Why not launch them all?"

"Because if this doesn't work, we'll need to use those as escape pods to get off this thing," Derek replied easily. He made eye contact with Solo. "Engage."

Solo launched the two mini-Krakens, watching on the sonar as the tiny machines used their tentacles to latch onto the enemy ship.

"Now!" Derek ordered.

Solo keyed in the signal and the two mini-Krakens detonated, the underwater explosion sending out a shockwave. Derek jolted, trying to keep his balance as he stared at the sonar.

"Is it down?"

"No," Solo replied. "It's retaliating."

Derek's eyes widened. "With what?"

"It's launching all of its mini-Krakens."

Derek realized it instantly. The Skynet Kraken was going to copy their maneuver. He was in motion instantly.

"Everyone to the mini-Krakens! Two in each! Let's go, hurry!"

The five remaining mini-Krakens were filled instantly. Derek was the last to board, going solo in the final escape pod.

"Head towards crush depth!" he ordered over the intercom that connected all of the mini-Krakens to each other and the mothership.

Inside the mini-Kraken, Derek could see all around him, as if looking through glass. He saw the enemy's mini-Krakens attached to their own commandeered ship, saw them all detonate simultaneously, blowing the Kraken apart.

The shockwave blew his mini-Kraken through the water and Derek struggled with the controls. Finally he got the hang of it and drove the ship through the water, its speed and maneuverability making it easy for him and the rest of the escapees to evade the enemy Kraken.

He programmed in the autopilot controls and leaned back in his seat, staring around the small pod. Unlike his original thought, it was not a simple glass wall that enabled to see his surroundings from inside the ship. Instead, he realized that he was viewing everything through miniature external cameras that were displayed on an internal wrap-around viewing screen, effectively giving an illusion of being able to see everything outside the mini-Kraken and at the same time provide a good protection.

He heard Seth's voice over the intercom, his voice relieved. "Savannah was right," he remarked. "Cameron was only trying to save John's life. These things really are faster than the Kraken. She may already be there by now."

Much as he hated to admit it, Seth was right. Cameron had probably saved John's life by stealing the mini-Kraken. That didn't mean he liked her any more. She did it because she was programmed to protect him, nothing more. Whereas Seth's view had always been one of respect and friendship with Cameron, Derek had always known what she was.

Machine. Nothing more.

He would have thought that seeing Cameron's damaged face, seeing the metal skeleton beneath would have caused the rest of them to realize that too. That when they saw how John reacted to Cameron, the way he looked at her, even when he could blatantly see what she was on the inside, they would realize that the machines were dangerous. Not just dangerous physically.

Dangerous because they could get close enough to the leader of mankind to make him believe they were human. Dietze was right. If the machines were really working to eliminate the human resistance, Connor had put them exactly where they needed to be.

Connor's trust of the machines would be his downfall.

Someday, one of the machines would kill him.

***************

**Serrano Point**

**Medical Wing**

Lauren Fields was cleaning up the infirmary when the door burst open violently. She spun around, staring in shock to see Cameron standing there, half of the skin on her face gone, holding an unconscious John Connor in her arms.

Lauren's hand flew to her mouth and she rushed over, helping Cameron lay John gently down on the operating table.

"What happened?" she asked, even as she began to get a hold of herself, switching into doctor mode.

"He was shot," Cameron stated. "I performed surgery to remove the bullet, but I can't fix him. He needed a real doctor."

Lauren swallowed hard as she removed the bandage over John's wound. Sydney entered the room, her eyes widening as she took in the sight. "Is he…"

"Get me something to put him under," Lauren ordered her sister. Sydney, who had been helping her in her medical work ever since she was old enough, reacted instantly, keeping calm under pressure and hurried to find the requested anesthetic.

For the next hour, Lauren worked on Connor, with Sydney helping out with whatever she could. Cameron never left, never even seemed to take her eyes off John's still form. As Lauren finished her work, she glanced up at Cameron, more specifically at the damaged side of her face. "What happened to you?"

"Explosion," Cameron stated briefly. "It looked a lot worse yesterday."

"Accelerated healing," Lauren noted. _Must be nice. _If only John had the same skill.

"How is he?" Cameron asked.

Lauren could have sworn she had detected a note of worry in her voice, something she hadn't heard before. The Cameron she had known in the past had been tough and commanding. She had been a Terminator, a killer. But she had saved Lauren's life.

This side of Cameron… this side reminded her painfully of Allison, the young girl she had cared for ever since Judgment Day. The young girl who had grown up with Sydney, who had befriended young John Connor, had fallen in love with him, and then had been killed.

Lauren averted her gaze, focusing back on John and his condition. "The good news is you got the bullet out. What you did saved his life."

In true Terminator fashion, Cameron didn't dwell on the heroism in her act, having heard the unspoken next part of Lauren's sentence.

"The bad news…" she prodded.

"He's lost a lot of blood," Lauren said hesitantly. "He needs a transfusion. His own blood type. It's…"

"AB negative," Cameron finished.

"You know it? Then you know how rare it is," Lauren guessed. "Even before Judgment Day. Can you imagine the odds of finding a donor now? Right now he's stable but unless we find someone who has the same rare blood type…"

"Derek," Cameron said.

Lauren looked up, puzzled. "Reese?"

"He has AB negative."

"How do you know?"

"Derek Reese came from the future and was shot defending John," Cameron replied. "He needed a blood transfusion of AB negative. John's blood matched."

Lauren smiled slightly. "Ironic isn't it? So where is Derek?"

"On his way back in a Skynet Kraken."

***************

**Goldfish Bunker**

**Submarine Dock**

The mini-Krakens made it back to Goldfish bunker in record time. Derek parked his at the Goldfish dock, spotting Cameron's mini-Kraken there as well. Almost as soon as he had disembarked, he was greeted by a squad of Resistance soldiers.

"Derek Reese," one said. "We have orders to transport you to Serrano Point ASAP."

Derek frowned, instantly on alert. "Why? What's wrong? Is Connor okay?"

"That's why we need you," the soldier replied. "Let's go."

Derek boarded the helicopter, his mind swimming with confusion. Was Connor okay? Was he alive? Why did they need him back so badly? So quickly?

He lapsed into silence as the helicopter flew straight to Serrano and landing in the hanger. Derek instantly was ushered into the medical infirmary where he saw John Connor laying on the cot, his eyes closed, still unconscious.

Lauren Fields came up to him, her eyes filled with worry and relief as soon as she saw him. "Thank goodness you're here."

"What's going on?"

"He needs a blood transfusion. You're the only person we know who has the same rare blood type he needs."

Derek frowned. "How do you know?"

"Cameron told me."

Derek decided not to ask how Cameron knew everyone's blood types. Instead, he instinctively rolled up his sleeve. "Do it."

Less than a minute later, Derek stood by John Connor's side, providing the young General with the transfusion that would save his life. Connor stirred once, his eyes flickering open.

"Derek…" he murmured.

Derek forced a small smile. "Don't move too much."

"Where's Cameron…?"

Derek felt a prick of irritation but he buried it for John's sake. "She's outside with Lauren."

"Saved my life…" he murmured.

Much as he hated admitting it, Derek reluctantly agreed. "Yeah… I guess she did."

"You…" John whispered. "Saved my life…"

Derek looked down at Connor and smiled to himself, feeling a slow warmth spread over his body. "Yeah," he agreed softly. "Yeah, I guess I did." He lay a strong hand on John's shoulder. "You'll be okay, kid."

John smiled weakly. "I'll return the favor someday."

As the young man drifted back into sleep, Derek stared at him. And he realized something that many people seemed to forget.

John was still a kid. A good kid, no doubt. But a kid, nonetheless. A young man thrust into the role of savior of mankind. A young man tasked with leading the entire human race in a war against the hostile machines that had taken over. Many people often forgot that fact. They expected Connor to be flawless, to always know what to do. But Derek knew there were some, just like him, who had always been watching John Connor. Watching for him to be human.

"I'd die for you, John Connor," he whispered into the silence, though he knew that John wouldn't hear him. It didn't matter. The audible declaration served to cement that concept firmly in Derek's own soul. Because it was the truth.

Just like Cameron had, Derek Reese would protect John Connor with his life.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: WEAVER: Savannah. Welcome back. [Savannah runs to hug John Henry.] JOHN: (to Weaver) How are you and Savannah getting along? WEAVER: She referred to me as a machine and a murderer. JOHN HENRY: She knows you well. JOHN HENRY: I've been picking up some strange readouts in the atmosphere. Satellite scans suggest that there is a space craft incoming. JOHN: We'll leave in the morning._


	40. Born to Realize

_Previously on Born to Fight: JOHN: We can't just walk back to Serrano. We need a plan. LOGAN: I have an idea. But you aren't gonna like it. DEREK: He expects us to march right into the Gray headquarters, capture their ship dock, and hijack Skynet's Kraken? [John and his team infiltrate the Gray base.] SETH: I found it! [John enters the Kraken command deck and is shot by a Terminator] DEREK: How's Connor? SETH: I don't know. She won't let anyone see him. CAMERON: (to critically injured John) You still need medical attention… SETH: She's gone. She took him. SAVANNAH: She's going to save his life. SOLO: It appears we have a problem. It's another Kraken. DEREK: Everyone to the mini-Krakens! [Cameron brings John to the medbay.] LAUREN: He needs a transfusion. DEREK: (holds out his arm) Do it. JOHN: (during the transfusion) You saved my life…_

**Chapter Forty:**

**Born to Realize**

**Serrano Point**

**Main Chamber**

Ever since that fateful day in 2009, when Mr. Ellison had picked her up from gymnastics instead of her mother, Savannah Weaver's life had changed. She'd learned that her best friend, John Henry, had traveled through time to the future. She had learned that he was a robot, a cyborg who was going to help win a war. She learned that her mother wasn't really her mother, but a machine that had taken her mother's form, using the real Catherine Weaver's influence to take over Zeira Corp and create John Henry for that purpose. She'd learned that John Connor, the boy who had taught her to tie her shoes and saved her life, had also gone to the future to become the leader of the human resistance in the war against machines. She had learned all about Judgment Day, about the future war, about Skynet. She had become a part of the team, helping Sarah Connor, Mr. Ellison, and Danny Dyson. She had made a new friend in Cody Phillips.

But she'd always held a place in her heart for the special friend she had lost that day in 2009. She'd held on to the last memory she had of him, the two of them singing her father's favorite song "Donald, Where's Your Trousers?"

So when she entered Serrano Point once again, her eyes widened in joyful surprise when she saw John Henry standing inside, waiting for her with a familiar, cheerful smile on his face.

Cameron was there too, but Savannah's eyes were quickly drawn to the third figure in the room, to the machine that had taken her mother's face. She offered Savannah a tight smile. "Savannah. Welcome back."

Savannah slowly shook her head, suddenly fighting back tears. That wasn't real warmth in the fake-Catherine Weaver's voice. Savannah knew the truth now.

"You're not my mother." She ran into John Henry's arms and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest. Everything else in her life may have been a lie, may have been twisted and confusing beyond measure. But one thing hadn't changed. John Henry was still her friend.

"You're not my mother," she repeated, casting a vicious glare at the machine doppelganger. "You never were. You killed my mother. You're a machine. You're a murderer."

"She knows you well," John Henry remarked.

The machine directed her now cool gaze at Ellison. "You told her?"

"Of course," Ellison replied defensively. "How else would I explain you and John Henry disappearing? Oh yeah, and the war afterward? The war against the machines? She deserved to know what her 'mother' really was."

The Terminator's smile seemed forced, even for a machine. "At any rate, thank you for taking care of her, Mr. Ellison."

Savannah pulled back from John Henry, staring at him and finally allowing herself to feel joy despite the situation. "I missed you." She glanced at the back of his head, seeing that the cord was gone. "You can move around now."

"Yes," John Henry agreed. "You have Cameron to thank for that."

Savannah turned to the other machine. "Thank you, Cameron." She smiled. "You have the same last name as Cody."

Cody offered her a smile, but Cameron merely replied. "My last name is irrelevant. It was chosen for an infiltration mission. There is no meaning behind it."

"She's a cyborg, like me," John Henry remarked.

"I know," Savannah replied. "Mr. Ellison told me. But it doesn't matter. She's a good machine. Like you."

Savannah noticed the brief flash of something akin to confusion cross Cameron's face, but she decided not to dwell on it.

Right now, the only thing that mattered was that for the first time in a long time, she finally felt like she was home.

*************

**Serrano Point**

**Medical Wing**

Ever since the blood transfusion, John had begun to feel much better, more alive and aware of his surroundings. It occurred to him that this was the first time he'd ever spent any time critically wounded. After living for over two years in a war zone, he supposed he should consider himself lucky.

Lauren had taken extreme care nursing him back to health and Cameron almost never left his side, explaining what had happened from the time he passed out on board the Kraken to when he had woken up back in the Serrano Point infirmary.

But this time when he woke up, no one was in the infirmary. A few thoughts flashed through his mind as he recalled who he had rescued. What were Savannah, Ellison, Cody, and Logan doing right now? Were they fitting in with his soldiers? Would Savannah have met John Henry again, her basement friend of childhood? Would she know he was a machine?

He shook his head blearily and sat up in the cot, careful not to jiggle the IV that was still in his arm. The gunshot wound in his chest still ached, but that was a big improvement from yesterday.

The door opened and John's face lit up when he saw Cameron enter, followed by their loyal canine companion. "Hey, Sam!" he greeted as the dog jumped up, placing two paws on the cot, his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging furiously.

"Jesse reported that he was 'going crazy' on the _Carter _return trip," Cameron stated. "I think he was worried about us."

John threw her a playful smirk. "Worried about _you_, you mean? I still think he likes you better."

"Dogs can sense when you're not feeling well," Cameron said. "He's trying to make you feel better."

John cupped Sam's face in his hands, grinning at the dog. "You're doing a good job, boy."

The dog sat down on the floor, his tail still wagging, but now he kept tilting his head from Cameron to John, no longer as perky. John noticed the behavioral change immediately, as well as the lapse in silence from Cameron.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Something was bothering her, he knew.

"Everything's fine," she replied, as if she believed he was asking about the status of the Resistance or something like that.

"I mean with you," he elaborated, nodding at her. "Dogs can sense when something's wrong," he repeated, prodding. "What's going on?"

Cameron remained silent for a moment, as if processing something. Finally, she spoke up. "Savannah said I was a good machine. Am I?"

John's eyes widened slightly at the question and his lips parted. He didn't know what he'd been expecting to hear but it hadn't been that.

"I've killed a lot of people," Cameron continued. "Innocent people. I don't think I'm good."

John's heart broke for her and he reached out and grabbed her hand, gently pulling her down to sit on the cot beside him. "Cameron… the fact that you can say that proves that you are. You recognize that what you did in the past was wrong. But that's not who you are now."

She hadn't actually killed anyone for a long while. Not since Allison. Not since she'd willfully decided to switch sides. Not like him. A shadow crossed his face and he leaned back against the wall, averting his gaze.

"You're more good than I am," he mumbled. "I… I got all those people on the _Seawolf _killed."

"You said it was my fault; because I convinced you to attempt the rescue," Cameron said pointedly, sounding as if she was willing to take the blame so he wouldn't feel the guilt. But he knew the truth.

"I made the call," he replied. "_I _got them killed."

Cameron changed tactics. "No, you didn't," she responded. "You saved the lives of Ellison, Savannah, Logan, and Cody, as well as many other of the Zion refugees. You're a hero, John."

Hero. Legend. Savior.

_I'm not who they think I am!_

But maybe he was. Maybe he was exactly what they thought. Maybe they just didn't understand the meaning of what a hero really was.

"Yeah, well you're right about that," he murmured. "Do you understand how many people have died for me? How many have been killed because of me? More than I can count. Three billion died because I couldn't stop Judgment Day."

"That wasn't your fault," Cameron said firmly.

"Wasn't it?" he countered. "We were the only ones who knew it was coming. We were the only ones who had the knowledge, who could have stopped it from happening. It was our _job_ to stop it. We failed."

"Your mother couldn't stop it either and she had two extra years after you left," Cameron replied. "You weren't supposed to stop the war. You were supposed to win it."

"So?" John said defiantly. "They all died. You say I'm a hero." He chuckled bitterly, shaking his head slowly. "You wanna know what the definition of a hero is? Someone who gets other people killed."

He looked back to see Cameron staring at him, her expression soft. "You're wrong," she replied. "A hero is someone who inspires others to the extent that they are willing to give up their lives for him. A hero is one worthy of sacrifice."

He reluctantly began to realize she was right. Everyone who had died for him, who had died to protect him had done it willingly, because they had believed in him, had trusted that he was the only one who could save the world.

He was the only one who could be their hero.

John struggled, swinging two feet over the side of the cot, nearly kicking Sam in the head. Cameron looked troubled.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to get up, move around," he replied. "Being stuck in here is driving my crazy."

"This is a bad idea," she protested. "You need to heal."

"I'll be fine," he murmured. "Getting up for a few hours won't make a difference. Besides, I'll have you with me."

He stood up, patting Sam on the head. He wasn't stupid enough to take the IV out of his arm, so Cameron resolved to carry the thing around as he made his way through the bunker, searching for Logan, Ellison, Cody, or Savannah. He wanted to know how they were adjusting, how the others were accepting them.

He also wanted to find Derek, to thank him for the blood transfusion that had saved his life.

_Guess that makes us even, _he thought dryly.

Everyone saluted as he passed, some offering encouraging words or well-wishes for his quick recovery. He stopped by his room to grab the stuffed giraffe he'd salvaged from the remains of the Connor Camp, hiding a smile. _Savannah'll be happy to see this._

He found her standing with Cody in the main hall, watching Ellison sitting with a bunch of soldiers, appearing to be reading to them from a book. John ignored the former FBI agent for the moment, holding out the giraffe awkwardly.

It really was weird how much older she was compared to him.

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry it's a little beat up. Camp Toto was attacked and I salvaged it from the wreckage."

Savannah's smile brightened his day and she clutched the giraffe to her chest, grinning broadly. "Thank you, John."

John nodded towards Ellison's study session. "What's he doing? What book is that?"

"Deacon Sandhid's," Cody offered. "He was a priest who believed the warning about Judgment Day. He was teaching many people before it happened, saved a lot of lives, just like your mom did with her warning message."

"How is it helping now? I mean, we all know Judgment Day happened."

"It's not just Judgment Day," Savannah replied. "Mr. Ellison reads the Bible too. And Sandhid talks about the final battle of the apocalypse. He talks about the antichrist, Skynet II, and the Mark, which you've already told us about. He thinks it will bring hope back into the resistance."

"How?"

"In the end, we win."

"Good conquers evil," Cameron remarked. John looked over and she met his gaze. "Deacon Sandhid is on the list."

"The list?" John repeated. "The one on the basement wall?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Apparently Skynet finds out about his teachings," Cameron replied, as if it were obvious. "Either they dislike the way he is inspiring the Resistance, or they dislike the way he saved so many humans by warning them about Judgment Day. They'll send a Terminator for him."

"Which is why I'll eventually send someone back with the whole list," John agreed. "But they don't have a time machine yet. Only we do. They'll have to rebuild a new one."

"Yes. They will."

"What about the tapes my mother brought?" John asked, the thought just occurring to him. "The DVDs you found in the drawer. Have you looked at them yet?"

She hesitated. "No. The DVDs were damaged in the rain and explosion. Until the techs figure out how to fix or salvage the information from them, you won't be able to see what she spoke of."

"Great."

"Connor!" Lauren's sharp voice rang out. "What are you doing out here?"

John opened his mouth, then closed it and grinned weakly. "I was… walking around…"

"You may be my commander but as your doctor, please listen to what I say," Lauren said, letting out an exasperated sigh. "You're going to make that wound worse the more you agitate it. You're supposed to be on bedrest."

"I hate bedrest," John said sullenly. He was the leader of mankind. He _hated _be stuck doing nothing productive.

"Yeah, well you'll hate it more when you're stuck there for longer because you refused to let yourself heal correctly," she countered firmly, never backing down under his commanding glare.

Finally he relented, too tired and achy to argue her anymore. "Fine. Take me back to my prison cell." He nodded to Savannah. "Just so you know, I'm doing this of my own free will."

Her smile widened as Lauren grabbed the IV, forcing John to come back towards the medical wing.

*********

**Serrano Point**

**Medical Wing**

John lay back on his cot inside the medical wing. Lauren had insisted he stay in the infirmary, with the IV, until she pronounced him fully healed. John wasn't complaining. He knew he had lost a lot of blood. He still felt woozy sometimes and his unauthorized excursion throughout the bunker had left him feeling unnaturally exhausted.

Lauren herself, as well as most of the people at Serrano, had already turned in for the night. Cameron, however, hadn't left his side all day. Even now, she remained by his bedside, her eyes on the IV, as if monitoring it to make sure it was working properly to heal him.

John had tried to sleep. He really had tried. But for some reason, he just couldn't seem to do so. He recalled what his mother used to do in this situation. She'd sit down next to him, pull out the worn copy of the Wizard of Oz and read it to him in Spanish until he fell soundly asleep. Even if she wasn't around anymore, he thought that perhaps reading the book himself would at least help him _feel _as if she was.

"My Wizard of Oz book," he murmured. "Where did it go?"

"It was at Firebase."

John let that sink in. Months ago, Kyle had taken the book to read to the kids of the civilian tunnel. He'd taken it to Firebase with him. And Firebase had burned. "Right…" he muttered sullenly. So much for that idea.

"I can recite it to you," Cameron offered in an attempt to cheer him up. "In Spanish."

John couldn't help but feel the pang of grief at her words. "Just stick with English," he requested softly. "Saying it in Spanish… well, my mother used to do that when I was little."

"I know," Cameron replied. "It was one of your favorite things she did. You told me."

"I did?" John frowned, trying to recall a time when he would have done that. "When?"

"Probably in a few seconds," she replied.

"Because you knew it in the past from the future which is now…?" John put a hand on his head, unable to keep up with his own sentence. "Wow, I think I just gave myself a headache."

"Would you like me to read it now?"

John moved over on the cot, making room for her. His heart jumped as she lay down beside him, her eyes cast to the ceiling. And then she began reciting the Wizard of Oz, as easily and perfectly as if she were actually reading from the book itself.

"Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer's wife…"

John sat listening, feeling completely content and secure with her beside him. The story brought back memories of his mother and he swallowed hard, trying to contain the grief they brought.

He hadn't even thought about the presence of the Tin Man in the story and the effect it would have on Cameron. But when she began reciting the story of how the Tin Man came to be, he couldn't help but wonder if she was having a hard time.

As the story went, the Tin Man had been in love with a Munchkin girl, but the Witch had caused his ax to slip, chopping off his arm. He had gone to get a tin arm and went back to work, but the accidents repeated until the Witch caused him to cut himself in half, replacing his body with one made of metal.

"'I had now no heart'," Cameron recited. "'So that I lost all my love for the Munchkin girl, and did not care whether I married her or not. During the year I stood there I had time to think that the greatest loss I had known was the loss of my heart. While I was in love I was the happiest man on earth; but no one can love who has not a heart…'"

She trailed off and John could have sworn he heard her voice break when she read the words. The room was absolutely silent, the sentence hanging in the air. John felt his heart ache and suddenly he wanted to simply take her in his arms, to let the tears flow, to remind her that she wasn't like the Tin Man, that in the end of the story, he realizes that he had a heart all along. Before he could do anything, Cameron seemed to have recovered from whatever moment of emotional revelation or pain she had felt, for she pressed on, probably for his sake.

"'…so I am resolved to ask Oz to give me one...'"

John was silent as he listened to Cameron tell the rest of the story, her voice never wavering again, never stopping or getting tired. She read about how the Tin Man stepped on a bug and started crying.

And slowly, John started to realize…

She _was _like the Tin Man. He didn't need a heart to _feel. _To care, to grieve, to love. His love for the munchkin girl had been stripped when he had become metal, but since then he had _learned _to love again.

Just like Cameron.

Long after Cameron had finished the story, she was still lying beside him in the cot, her presence instilling a peace inside him. He'd almost allowed him to drift off to sleep when he heard Cameron speak up, her voice a quiet whisper.

"Am I like the Tin Man?"

John swallowed hard, unsure of how to respond. On the one hand, yes, she had learned to love without having a physical heart, just the Tin Man. On the other hand, she may have been thinking of the passage she had read where the Tin Man stated that no one could love without a heart.

Instead, he decided to answer her question with a question, to let her figure it out for herself. "Why do you ask that?"

"He went to the Wizard to ask for a heart," Cameron began softly. "Because he was metal and didn't have one. But the Wizard says he doesn't need one."

John was silent for a minute. "And why is that?"

"Because he experienced emotions," Cameron replied. "He felt grief and remorse. He felt love and kindness towards Dorothy. He didn't have a heart, not a real one, but he still had feelings."

John's voice cracked. "Yes."

"But he also said that in order to love, one needs a heart," she replied. "His logic is contradictory with the facts."

"Maybe," John agreed. "But maybe he already had a heart. It just didn't look like he thought it would."

"Perhaps," she said.

"Just like you," he finished, turning his head to stare at her, their faces inches apart. He smiled slightly, remembering her original question. "Yeah, Cameron… I think you're like the Tin Man. It's there, it's part of you. You love me, don't you?"

"Yes," she said softly. "I love you, John Connor. There's nowhere I would rather be than here with you."

John felt his heart leap. "Well, if you need a heart to be able to love, then I believe that somewhere, down deep, you have one too."

A ghost of a smile appeared on her face and she turned her gaze back towards the ceiling, allowing him to start drifting off to sleep. Before his eyes closed completely, he noticed something.

The smile had never left her face.

****************

**Serrano Point**

**Medical Wing**

The next morning, Lauren had come to remove the IV from John's arm, making no comment on the fact that Cameron seemed to have spent the night. She did say he could move around some, but insisted he be careful and return that afternoon for a check-up.

At that point, hopefully he'd be cleared to go about his daily life.

Which consisted of more opportunities to get shot again.

Almost as soon as he was up, Weaver appeared at the door, her face expressionless. "John Henry would like to speak with you."

John started for the door instantly, Cameron at his side. Weaver started leading the way, and John couldn't help but wonder where Savannah was and how she had reacted to seeing her so-called "mother" again.

"How are you and Savannah getting along?"

"She referred to me as a machine and a murderer."

_Both very true, _John thought reasonably. "Smart girl," he remarked.

"Her opinion makes no difference to me. Her usefulness is to continue teaching John Henry morals and human behavior, along with Mr. Ellison."

"Her _usefulness_," John retorted. "Is more than that. She's a human being. She's supposed to be your daughter."

"She is the daughter of the real Catherine Weaver. Her importance is merely a tool for me."

John felt a spark of anger. "So you'd just toss her aside if she stood in the way of your plans? Just like you let Allison die?"

Weaver's voice remained calm and unperturbed. "Everything I do, I do for John Henry. If Savannah must be sacrificed in the process, so be it."

"No heroes among machines, huh?" He cast a quick glance at Cameron, deciding to amend his statement. "At least none in the T-1000 range."

"Mr. Connor," Weaver began, her voice revealing the slightest bit of annoyance, though he knew she didn't care what he thought of her. "What I do for John Henry is what I also do for you. Without him and without the knowledge that Savannah and Mr. Ellison will cause him to learn, you will never win this war."

"Right," he mumbled. "I've heard that before."

"Here we are," Weaver stated, opening the door to the computer laboratory where John Henry and Matthew Storms sat at the panels, surrounded by an observing crowd of Seth Kohl, Savannah Weaver, and James Ellison.

John Henry greeted both John and Cameron with a smile when they entered. "Hello."

"John Henry," John said with a small nod. "What's going on?"

John Henry pointed to the screen, which displayed some kind of readout John couldn't recognize or translate. "I've been picking up some strange readouts in the atmosphere. Satellite scans suggest that there is a space craft incoming."

Seth's face lit up with a playful grin. "Aliens? Cool, maybe they can help us beat Skynet!"

"It is unlikely that the inhabitants of the shuttle are extra-terrestrials," John Henry remarked, his tone completely logical.

Seth raised an eyebrow. "Thanks. I was actually kidding."

"It appears to be a United States spacecraft," John Henry continued. "The _USS Serenity_."

John cut in. "So where is this shuttle coming from?"

"It's a shuttle from Mercury."

It was Matt Storms who answered, his voice and tone suggesting his statement was one hundred percent factual. John cocked his head, studying the engineer.

"You know about this?" he questioned.

"Have you ever heard of Skynet's plans for the T-1000?"

John cast a glance up at Weaver before replying. "You could say that."

"I was on the design team to create the machine," Matt explained. "For its endoskeleton, we used a shapeshifting metal called Halypsion. It's not native to Earth and can only be found and mined on Mercury."

"Where this incoming shuttle is from," John finished, understanding beginning to dawn.

"Exactly. There's some kind of space station orbiting the planet, sending down drones to keep mining the stuff. We only had enough Halypsion metal to make four T-1000 endoskeletons. Obviously whoever is in that shuttle has more, but I don't know why they'd be coming back now. After sixteen years?"

"They're bringing more metal, you say," John mused, stroking his jaw. "To make more T-1000s?"

"Well, not just T-1000s," Matt corrected. "We can use the metal for dozens of other technological breakthroughs. New weapons, armors, you name it."

_Terminatrix, _John added mentally. "It would be very bad for us if Skynet gets its hands on that shipment."

"Yes," Matt agreed.

"Then we need to meet the shuttle first," John concluded turning back to John Henry. "Can you get a message to them? Tell them to land in California instead of Cape Canaveral, if it even exists anymore. I'm sure they're going to be shocked at the sight. They'll want answers and we can provide them."

While John Henry called, John waited silently with the rest of the people in the room. The T-X he had seen in Skynet Central was a prototype, not as deadly or powerful as they could be. If Skynet needed this Halypsion shipment of metal to construct their real T-X, he knew they would be at the landing site too, attempting to steal it for themselves.

_We have to get there first, _he thought to himself. Maybe he had a head start, knowing exactly where the shuttle would land. It could give the Resistance the edge they needed.

John Henry turned away from the radio. "Affirmative," he stated. "The shuttle captain will be setting down just outside Los Angeles like you advised."

"We'll meet him there," John confirmed. "Before Skynet does."

He should have known someone would protest. He also should have known that if it was his wellbeing on the line, Cameron would be the one to do it. "You're still healing," she warned.

"I'm fine," he said offhandedly.

"You'd better listen to her," Seth cautioned. "Remember, the woman is always right."

John cracked a smile, glad that Seth had apparently gotten over the shock of seeing Cameron's damaged face and the reminder of what she was. Now, he could barely see the scarring from the burns, and that, he knew, would be gone in another day or two.

"I said I was fine," he repeated. "Lauren's supposed to check me out today. If she clears me for duty, we leave in the morning."

"And if she doesn't?" Seth prodded.

John didn't blink. "We leave in the morning."

****************

**Serrano Point**

**Medical Wing**

Derek had heard from Sydney that John Connor was currently in the infirmary, finishing a check up. Maybe he was even being cleared for duty. Maybe his gunshot wound had healed enough in the past few days.

John was sitting on the check-up table, with Cameron standing directly beside him. Lauren had left the room, either already having done her job or needing some assistance.

Derek paused outside the door, out of view when he heard John's questioning voice.

"So now what?"

Normally Derek would have been appalled at himself for spying or eavesdropping on John Connor, but even if Cameron had saved John's life, that didn't mean she was a good influence on him. Dietze's words about her running the war, about her manipulating Connor were still fresh in his mind, despite the fact that yesterday he'd been reminded that the young General was still a kid.

Derek had sworn to die for John Connor. But that didn't mean he felt the same towards John's personal cyborg protector and who knew what else.

"You have to heal first," the machine replied.

"And then what?" John asked irritably. "That metal shipment will be here in two days. We need to intercept it. I don't know what they'll do. No doubt Skynet will have something waiting to capture that shuttle too. After so many people dying in the Zion assault, I doubt they'll want to do another dangerous mission."

"They have to," she replied. "You can't let Skynet get that metal. If they do… they'll win."

"I know…" John admitted grudgingly, relinquishing a sigh. "We have to go…"

The room was silent for a moment before Cameron asked, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah," John replied. His voice seemed to be a bit more soft, not as edgy as it had been mere seconds ago. If Cameron could have that effect on him… "Thanks to you and Derek," John finished. "What about you?"

"It is healing quicker than yours," she replied. Derek knew they were referring to the damage on her face, the damage that had proved to everyone but Connor what she – it – really was.

"I can see that," John said.

"Does it still bother you?" The machine's voice sounded almost worried.

The volume of John's voice increased as he adamantly countered, "No! Of course not!" His voice softened. "You're perfect."

Derek could hear the longing and desire in those words, felt a twinge of bitterness. Dietze couldn't be right about Cameron. Because _Connor _was right. Right? Connor trusted her (which Derek didn't agree with, of course) but he wasn't stupid enough to actually fall in love with a machine like Dietze had been suggesting on the _Carter. _

Derek suddenly noticed that all talking in the room had ceased and he frowned, peeking his head around the corner and staring into the room. What he saw caused his jaw to clench and bile to rise in his throat. There was Cameron, leaning over John, her lips moving across his in what would have been a sweet, tender kiss.

_If_ she was human.

Derek felt an ice cold numbness spread over his body. He stumbled, quickly backing away and down the hall, careful not to make any noise. His mind raced with disbelief, shock, revulsion. This was beyond mere trust. Yes, Connor was still young, and it was fine for him to use machines, but that last conversation had proved it. And that kiss finally made Derek realize the same thing that Dietze had known all along.

John Connor wasn't running this war.

Not anymore.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: [A space shuttle lands in the middle of the desert and three people step out.] JOHN: My name is John Connor. You'd better come with us. [The captain sits inside the cockpit, listening to a radio transmission] COMMAND: Do not return home! At all costs, do not return! NATHAN: Are we safe here? CAMERON: Nowhere is ever safe. BLAIR: Connor! We've got a breach!_


	41. Born to Misbehave

_Dc – thanks! I'm glad you liked the trailer. I had the link posted on one of the chapter pages. At least I think I did. For anyone who doesn't know about it, here is the URL for the BTF trailer: http:// . com/watch?v=vrSZ0LBsdtQ_

_NordWest – Actually, that's not the first time John and Cameron have kissed. John initiated the first time when he finally found her in this future. There's been at least one other instance as well. As for Nathan's name… I purposely didn't name him Mal because this isn't a Serenity/TSCC crossover. The character is merely paying homage to Malcolm Reynolds by adopting his personality. So there's no River character either – with both Cameron and Allison, we already had enough Summer Glau characters running around. Not that we can ever have enough of Summer. _

* * *

_Previously on Born to Fight: JOHN HENRY: I've been picking up some strange readouts in the atmosphere, an incoming spacecraft. JOHN: Where's it coming from? MATT: Mercury. To create the T-1000, we used a shapeshifting metal that can only be found on Mercury. There's a space station orbiting the planet, sending down drones to keep mining the stuff. We only had enough Halypsion metal to make four T-1000 endoskeletons. This shuttle could be bringing more. CAMERON: You can't let Skynet get that metal. If they do… they'll win. JOHN: Can you get a message to them? They'll want answers and we can provide them. JOHN HENRY: The captain will set down just outside Los Angeles. JOHN: We'll meet him there. Before Skynet does. We leave in the morning. _

**Chapter Forty One:**

**Born to Misbehave**

**Los Angeles Outskirts**

**September 5, 2027**

John was one step ahead of the pack of soldiers he'd brought with him to retrieve the shuttle crew and the precious metal. Blair was in the air with her A-10, checking for Skynet air traffic and ready to transport the metal to SRD, where Matt Storms had said they could use it to build more weapons or T-1000s for the Resistance.

Cameron remained dutifully by his side, matching his pace perfectly, her eyes flashing constantly from him to the road ahead. He wished she wouldn't worry. Lauren had cleared him for duty, though she had made it clear that she didn't think he should be doing anything stressful. The bullet wound still ached, but John knew he could fight through the soreness.

Disconnect the pain.

"Are these more of your metal-lover friends we're rescuing, Connor?" Dietze spoke up from near the back.

John snapped around, holding up a finger. "That's enough, soldier. If you want to retain the use of that mouth of yours I suggest you keep it shut and focus on your mission. That's an order."

He turned back around and kept moving, aware of several eyes on his back. Maybe his gunshot wound was making him grumpy. He hadn't got a lot of sleep in the past few days. That cot in the medical wing was terribly uncomfortable, and of course Cameron had stayed the whole night…

She hadn't mentioned anything else about the Wizard of Oz or the Tin Man since then, and he hoped she had finally accepted his conclusion with regards to her having a heart.

Blair's voice echoed over his radio. "Connor, we've got a rainbow in the sky here."

John recognized the Wizard of Oz code. It meant their target was fast approaching. Only a few minutes later, he could see the shuttle himself. It was small, smaller than the ones he'd seen liftoff on TV, but still big. The shuttle set down in the valley as instructed, in the large open area.

John waited until the engines had stopped and it was safe to approach. He couldn't imagine what was going through the minds of the shuttle captain and his crew. Coming home to see… _this. _It would be a shock for anyone.

He stood there, waiting as the shuttle doors opened and the three passengers stepped out, having already ditched their space suits. The first was a tall man who appeared to be the captain, followed by two younger men, all of whose faces were a mask of confusion and horror at seeing the destruction.

The captain's eyes locked on John, who stepped forward, his voice and face completely serious.

"My name is John Connor. You'd better come with us."

**************

**Sixteen Years Ago...…**

**Cape Canaveral**

**April 18, 2011**

Captain Nathan Reynolds had been waiting for this day for a while. He'd excelled in his training as a pilot and astronaut, but now was an even greater reward. He was taking his shuttle up to the space station that orbited Mercury, a flight that would take over one hundred days.

It was an important mission and it was an honor to be chosen.

Over the loudspeaker in the auditorium, he heard the commander announce. "Would Nathan Reynolds and his crew please board the shuttle at this time."

Nathan curled his lip, swearing under his breath. _"Captain _Reynolds… how hard is it to remember the title?"

He started towards the flight deck when he heard a voice calling out his name frantically.

"Captain Reynolds! Wait, please!"

He turned to see a women walking up, with two young boys, no older than nine or ten. He didn't recognize them, but figured they were maybe well-wishers who had attended the gathering and wished to say good luck. Or maybe he had fans and the kids wanted autographs.

He put on a pleasant smile and greeted them with a firm handshake. "What can I do for you?"

"This is Austin and Zach Dekker," the mother explained, her face flustered and panicky. In fact, her entire demeanor seemed to be one of grief or fear. His polite smile slowly disappeared. Surely this couldn't be about mere autographs.

"Um, hello, boys," he said awkwardly. Both the kids remained silent, keeping their eyes downcast.

"Please," the mother began, her voice desperate enough to make him uneasy. "Please take them with you."

For a moment, Nathan just stared at her stupidly, then let out a barking half-laugh. "Take them…" Did this woman think her sobbing act would get him to let the two kids go on an adventure? Was that was this was about? "Listen, lady. This ain't just a flight in space. This is an important research mission. I got no time for babysittin'."

"Please! We'll pay you! A lot!" she insisted.

Nathan's brow furrowed. _A lot? _Just for the two kids to be able to ride in a space shuttle? Why the urgency? "Something tells me that's an awful lot to pay for a science field trip."

The woman nodded. "They need to be on that shuttle. Please. We'll give you everything we have."

Warning bells were going off inside Nathan's head. Who on earth would pay their entire fortune for their kids to get on a spaceship? It wasn't just stupid, it was insanity. Pure insanity.

"Listen," he began hesitantly. "I don't make the rules here, and I doubt the admiral up at the station would like my bringin' two extras up. Especially ones of the teeny tiny nature."

Neither she nor the boys reacted to the subtle insult. Instead, she gripped his arm tightly. He almost pulled away, about to spout off something about his personal bubble, when he saw the fearful intensity in her eyes.

"Please," she whispered. "You're their only hope."

Nathan cast an uneasy glance at the two kids, who had yet to speak a word. "You seem to have a mighty powerful need to get these kids away. What'd they do to you?"

"It's not safe for them here. Not for anyone. Not after tomorrow."

Nathan almost laughed. "What? You fortune tellers? Psychics? Religious folk or some such?"

"We know what is coming," she replied mysteriously. "You may not believe us, but please, just take my boys."

He wasn't sure what it was, whether it was a gut instinct or just a compassionate nature, but he had a feeling that this woman was right. So what if he brought two extra kids along? He'd be coming back down in a month or two with a shipment of that metal. He'd just bring 'em back then, drop 'em off with their mom and say "See, y'all were fine. I told you so."

He nodded briskly. "Fine. Load 'em up."

The instant relief that washed over her face nearly brought tears to her eyes. She knelt down and clutched her sons close to her body, promising them that they'd be okay. That they would have fun on the trip.

As Nathan watched the tearful goodbyes, he couldn't shake the feeling. _Something sure the heck ain't right…_

When he dragged the two kids on board the shuttle, no one on his crew mentioned it. Either that or they were too busy with the pre-flight checks to notice. As soon as _Serenity _was up in the air, Nathan turned to the two kids, his face completely serious.

"Now, listen up," he ordered. "This is my ship and you two are guests on it, so you can look around, but no touching, speaking, or being in the vicinity of anything important taking place. Understand?"

The younger of the two, Austin, if he remembered correctly, spoke up hesitantly. "Can I call you Nate?"

"No!" Nathan said quickly. He hated being called Nate, which was why all the people he knew usually used his middle name. "You may refer to me as Captain or sir, but doing so would violate the rule I made about you two remaining hushed while during your stay. You can go to your bunk and I want no misbehaving."

Austin remained silent, but Zach nodded his understanding. "Yes, sir."

*********

It was three days before he heard word from Command. When the radio transmission came through it was garbled, but he could hear the frantic voices.

"Shuttle _Serenity_? Come in…urgent!"

Nathan picked up the receiver. "This is the captain speaking. What seems to be the problem?"

"Do _not_ return home," Command ordered. "At all costs, do not return. Remain on the Mercury station. That's an order."

Nathan could feel the hair along his neck and arms stand up. Something was happening down on Earth. Something bad. "What's going on?"

He heard a loud crackling of static, as if something was breaking up the communication. "…lost…war……danger…stay away!"

"Command?" Nathan snapped into the radio, clutching it tightly. "Command, do you copy?"

He heard nothing but silence on the other end and he slowly set down the radio, glancing up to see the two Dekker kids staring at him, their faces white with ice cold fear.

Nathan forced a smile for their sake. "Nothing to be alarmed about. Just some communication issues. I'm sure it will be all right and sorted in no time. For now, we just keep on towards the space station."

Zach nodded numbly and Austin looked like he was about to cry. The two of them quietly backed out of the cockpit and Nathan's first mate turned to him, his face troubled.

"Cap'n, what is it?" she demanded. "What's wrong?"

Nathan shook his head, his brain whirling, trying to come up with some kind of explanation for the bizarre, frightening message.

"I don't know," he said. "I really don't."

*************

**Sixteen Years Later...**

**Los Angeles Outskirts**

**September 5, 2027**

John raised an eyebrow as he observed the three figures from the shuttle. Blair had set down her A-10 and joined them, the first to actually voice the question they were all wondering. "Where'd you come from?"

John had decided that the two young men were brothers. They certainly looked alike. The older of the two hesitated once, trying to compose himself before responding, "Mercury."

"Hmm," Blair responded. "And I always thought men were from Mars."

The captain hadn't been paying John or his crew much attention at all. Instead his eyes were focused on his surroundings, at the horrific wasteland that used to be the thriving city of LA.

"What happened here?" he asked, almost numbly.

"Judgment Day happened," John replied.

The captain turned his attention to John, his face confused. "Judgment Day?"

"Sixteen years ago," John began. "A computer program called Skynet declared war on the world. It launched a nuclear attack, killing three billion people and sending the rest of the population underground into hiding. It has created humanoid machines - cyborgs, Terminators - whose only task is hunt down and kill any surviving humans."

"So what do you do?" the older brother asked fearfully.

"We fight," John said strongly. "And hopefully, someday we'll win."

The captain still seemed to be processing John's previous statement. "Sixteen years ago?"

John squinted his eyes. Did sixteen years ago have any meaning to the man? How long exactly had he been up on that space station?

Cameron decided to give him the technical details. "On April 19th, 2011, Skynet goes online. Two days later, April 21st, it declares war on the world and triggers the nuclear apocalypse. Judgment Day."

The captain turned to look at the two young men, his face twisted. "And your mother… she knew."

"Their mother?" John repeated.

The captain nodded once, before he thought to introduce the two. "This is Zach and Austin Dekker."

"And who are you?" Blair asked.

"I'm the captain of this shuttle, _Serenity_."

Serenity. John almost laughed at the irony. Serenity was nearly non-existent in this world.

Blair seemed to be thinking along the same lines for she raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Really?" she asked, her tone full of dry humor. "Why'd you call it that?"

The captain glanced over at his ship before replying simply, "Well, uh... because it's… a home."

Blair crossed her arms, muttering, "Hmph. It's anything but serene now. A better name would have been the shuttle Chaos."

Talking about his ship in such a way seemed to irk the captain more than anything else. "Well I didn't exactly know about the nuclear holocaust when I was naming her."

"So you're the captain?" John interjected.

The captain nodded once. "Captain Nathan Reynolds. You can call me Mal."

"Mal?" John repeated dubiously. "Is that a nickname for Nathan up on Mercury?"

The captain smirked. "Malcolm is my middle name. Mal sounds more captainy than Nate."

"Mal means bad in the Latin," Cameron piped up.

The captain, Nathan – or Mal, gave her a smile. "Smart girl."

"She's not a girl," Dietze spat. "She's one of them. A machine."

Nathan raised an eyebrow as he regarded Dietze. "Ah. One big happy family, huh?"

"So what's your story?" John asked curiously. "After sixteen years, why come back now?"

************

**Sixteen Years Ago...**

**Mercury Space Station**

**August 8, 2011**

Admiral Katam was the first to greet Nathan as he disembarked off the shuttle. Even though it had taken almost four months to get to Mercury, the topic on everyone's mind hadn't changed: what was happening down on Earth?

The Admiral's face was etched with worry, but he still provided a commanding presence. "Captain, welcome to the Mercury Station. I assume you've heard the news? We've lost all communication with Command. The last transmission warned us not to return. To stay up here as long as possible."

Nathan nodded in understanding. "I received the same warning."

At that point, Zach and Austin stepped off the ship, their faces hanging. The Admiral stared at them with surprise and disproval. "Who is this?"

"Oh, them," Nathan agreed, suddenly feeling a might unprepared. He'd never gone over how he would explain this to the Admiral. "Yeah, I, uh, brought them along."

"I can see that," Admiral Katam said irritably. "But why? You're not supposed to bring unauthorized passengers."

"_I_ authorized it," Nathan retorted. "Their parents wanted to pay me a fortune to take 'em with me. Honestly, how could I say no?"

At that news, the Admiral's brow furrowed. "Why did they want them to come so badly?"

"Because…" Nathan was about to give the answer the mother had when suddenly he realized it. They had known this would happen. How did they know? He couldn't remember anything on the news that hinted towards some kind of attack. Were they terrorists? Did they know something was coming? What had happened down there?

He changed gears. "Who did we lose contact with? Cape Canaveral?"

"Everyone," Katam reported, his tone grave. "There's no contact _anywhere_. It's like everyone disappeared. Everyone in the whole blasted planet. We're stuck here. And you brought two extra people."

Nathan shrugged. "So?"

The Admiral's tight smile grinded on Nathan's nerves. "You're new here," Katam said condescendingly. "So I'll fill you in. The orbit of this station around the planet is engineered so that we use the planet as a shield from the effects of the sun's radiation. It is created from coltan metal, a protection from the intense heat and capable of allowing us to convert that heat energy into electrical energy to power the station."

"You sound like you're reading from a dictionary."

The Admiral ignored him. "This station operates on a biosphere, a living environment that allows us to co-exist with plants. The plants provide the oxygen and food and we provide the carbon dioxide and fertilizer. The balance was originally maintained which sustained life for a while, but you have created an imbalance by bringing two unaccounted-for people. This will slowly tilt the balance to overconsumption of plant resources."

"Oh." Nathan was silent for a moment before nodding. "Well now I know that."

The Admiral started at him through squinty eyes, as if wondering if he truly understood. Nathan sighed irritably. "That would take years. You really think we'll be up here that long?"

Admiral Katam's look confirmed the answer before he spoke the words.

"We'll see."

************

**Mercury Space Station**

**May 9, 2027**

Everything had been going smoothly. Or as smooth as it could be being stuck up on a space station for sixteen years. They'd been able to keep busy mining the Halypsion, still doing their job. The daily attempts to contact Earth had dwindled down to monthly. Not that it did any good. Whatever had happened down there had either completely wiped out the population or had completely destroyed communication.

For sixteen years, he'd worked, keeping _Serenity _in good working order, even though she only went in the air for a few routine checks.

The trouble had all started when the engineers had reported the fluctuation in the plant life, an imbalance that had slowly been getting worse over sixteen years. The amount of humans on the base was overpopulating the number of plant life. Within another few months, eventually the plants wouldn't be able to give off enough oxygen for all the human life aboard the station to breathe.

When that news went out, chaos broke out on the station.

Several of the more troublesome characters had been arguing that the only way to re-tip the balance in order to continue surviving was to kill off some of the population, bringing the plants and people back to an equilibrium.

It was at one such meeting where Nathan decided that he'd had enough of the murder talks.

"Hold up now," he growled. "There's no reason to go resorting to violence. Mind you, it's a very effective strategy, but I think we could look to be a little more civilized in this instance. Since this entire out-of-whack balance thing was my fault in the first place, I'll take _Serenity_ back to Earth, survey the situation and bring back some supplies."

"What if you don't come back?" one miner asked.

_A reasonable question, _Nathan agreed. _I might not. _"Well, then you can have all the oxygen I won't be here to use up."

He spotted Zach and Austin in the crowd. The two had grown up a lot, had become a fine couple of young men, learning how to mine the Halypsion. But he could still see something in their eyes. That tiny bit of hope. Hope that whatever had happened down on earth would pass and they could return and everything would be as it was.

"We're coming with you," Zach announced. "After all, this is our fault too."

"Yeah," Austin agreed, throwing a pointed look at the miner who had questioned Nathan. "And you can have all my oxygen too."

Nathan had known they would volunteer. It was the kind of people they'd grown up to be. Taking responsibility for their own actions. "You can ride shotgun, help me navigate."

Zach grinned broadly. "Shiny!"

**************

**Four Months Later...**

**Earth's Atmosphere**

**Shuttle _Serenity_**

**September 5, 2027**

"You know how long its been since I had some good food?" Austin asked from the navigator's chair. "I mean, we had vegetables and fruits and stuff like that up on Mercury, but we didn't grow cows or anything, and I'm really craving some hamburger. I can barely remember the stuff."

Nathan was barely listening to the conversation, concentrating on the shuttle's readouts as they neared the atmosphere. His heart was pounding with anticipation and dread. What would they find when they broke through atmo? Would it look the same? It had been a huge relief once they had got close enough to see that the entire planet was still intact. For all they knew, Earth could have been completed obliterated and they would never have known it.

The radio crackled as it tried to pick up a weak frequency. Nathan turned it up, his pulse racing. What did that mean? Was someone trying to contact him? Did that mean someone was alive down there?

"Greetings," a pleasant voice called out of the radio. "My name is John Henry."

"Who are you?" Nathan demanded. "What's going on down there?"

"You will no doubt be alarmed at some of the things you will see," this John Henry person continued. "We will have answers for you. But you are in danger. There are forces on this world now who want the shipment of metal that you are bringing. For your own protection, I ask that you do not land at Cape Canaveral. We are in Los Angeles and it would be much more convenient for us and for you if you would find a landing site there."

"What's going on?" Nathan demanded.

"We will explain everything as soon as you land," John Henry said before the communication ended.

Austin spoke up quietly. "He sounded like an alien."

"Yeah, the last thing we need on Earth is an alien invasion," Zach murmured back before asking Nathan, "What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know," Nathan replied, gritting his teeth as _Serenity _broke through the atmosphere. "Maybe this John Henry guy is trying to trick us into…"

He trailed off the shuttle came in closer towards the United States. And finally, he could see it. The disturbing images John Henry had warned him about.

There was no words to describe what he was seeing.

Total destruction, the world as he knew it gone. Annihilated. Was there a war? Some kind of bombing? Was this how it looked all across the globe?

He needed answers. And this John Henry person knew the answers or knew who had them. He changed course for California.

Both Zach and Austin were staring out the cockpit window, their faces twisted in agony. When Zach spoke, his tone held an infinite sadness. "They're all dead, aren't they?"

Nathan wanted to comfort the young men, to tell them that it was possible that their mother was still alive, that perhaps she had survived. But when Zach turned to face him, he saw something missing in the boy's eyes. The something that had stayed there for an entire sixteen years was now gone.

The hope.

Finally, as they drew near to touch down in a clearing in a valley, Nathan could study the damage even closer. This was LA, he realized. The huge thriving metropolis. Obliterated. Buildings were torn apart, some of the metal supports still barely standing. Piles of rubble were everywhere.

What on earth could have happened that would have caused such a dramatic change? What could have done this?

Nathan and the two Dekker boys stepped out of the shuttle, instantly spotting a group of soldiers waiting, each of them wearing combat gear and wielding large rifles. But Nathan couldn't even focus on them right away. He stared at all the destruction, the smoke, the fires, and on the ground, a sight that almost made him sick.

Skulls.

Some piled in with the rubble, others just lying around, scattered everywhere. He looked up and met eyes with the soldier in the lead, a young man with a steely gaze who seemed to be completely in control, despite the horrors that were surrounding him. Or maybe, they were all just used to it.

The young man took one step forward, addressing him firmly.

"My name is John Connor. I think you'd better come with us."

***********

**Los Angeles Outskirts**

**September 5, 2027**

John Connor stroked his jaw, nodding as Nathan Reynolds finished the last of his story. "So that's it then," he mused.

"So what do we do now?" Nathan asked. "Are there more machines coming? Are we safe here?"

"Nowhere is ever safe," Cameron stated.

Nathan's face twisted into an expression of disgust. "She is a might morbid and creepifying isn't she?"

"Not she," Dietze corrected irritably. "_It. _And she's creepy because she's a machine."

Nathan simply shrugged and John was glad that he wasn't freaked out by the whole cyborgs on the human side thing. "I call 'em like I see 'em," he stated.

John heard Blair talking into her walky talky unit, apparently not getting a reply from one of the scouts he'd posted in a wide perimeter around the location to watch for Skynet incoming. Her volume increased before she looked over at John, worried. "We've got a problem. A breach in the perimeter. Most likely a Triple 8. I advise run toto run."

Nathan looked absolutely perplexed. "What does that mean?"

"It means we get out of here," John said crisply, dropping back into General mode. Before he could move, he heard a missile screaming and dove to the ground, covering his head. The missile exploded into a pile of rubble right next to _Serenity. _

John jerked to his feet, anxiously looking around to see where the attack had come from. Across the way, about a hundred yards away, he saw it.

It was a machine, it had to be. A machine outfitted in some type of coltan armor, a rocket launcher on its back, and a helmet on its head. As far as he knew, the rest of the machine's armor was also equipped with various weapons. It was actually a clever tactic on Skynet's part.

"A T-900 assassin," Cameron stated, her voice displaying none of the nervousness the others were no doubt feeling.

The machine stood there, observing them, as if waiting for them to make the first move.

Nathan stood up from where he'd taken cover on the ground. He looked around, stunned as he sat the machine enemy standing there. He swallowed hard before remarking, "Huh. Looks like Skynet's been misbehaving."

As if responding to the words, the T-900 launched forward.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: DEREK: (to Logan) Tell me where the Gray base is, where Fischer is. LOGAN: You don't know what you're up against. Fischer's base is loaded with booby traps and I hear they've got some new kind of weapon. [Derek and his team move quietly through a dark corridor. Charles Fischer appears at the end of the hallway and Derek starts to run towards him. A shadowy form lunges out of the darkness.] SETH: Derek, no!_


	42. Born to Hate

_Previously on Born to Fight: JOHN HENRY: I've been picking up some strange readouts in the atmosphere, an incoming spacecraft. [John meets the crew at the landing site] JOHN: My name is John Connor. You'd better come with us. DEREK: (to Logan in the Amazon) You're a Gray. Tell me, where's Fischer's base? JOHN: Drop it, Derek. We need to focus on getting back to Serrano first. DEREK: The moment we do, he's going to tell me where to find Fischer. Or I'm gonna blow his head off. JOHN: Listen to me. If you can't learn to control your hatred, you're gonna get someone killed._

**Chapter Forty Two:**

**Born to Hate**

**Los Angeles Outskirts**

**Shuttle _Serenity _Landing Site**

**September 5, 2027**

"Looks like Skynet's been misbehaving," Captain Reynolds remarked.

No sooner had the words left his mouth then the T-900 launched into action. John dove to the ground as another rocket screamed over their heads. He struggled to his feet, his mind bleary. _What _is _this thing?_

Meanwhile, Cameron and Cody had already drawn their plasma rifles, shooting off two blasts almost simultaneously. The impact knocked the Terminator backwards, but whatever its armor was made of, it was holding up.

Cody cursed loudly, dropping his useless plasma rifle and ducking for cover. This time, the T-900 used a wrist launcher to fire a long wire that wrapped around John's leg, jerking him off his feet. John cracked his head on the ground, letting out a yelp.

As the T-900 began reeling him in closer, John struggled with his plasma rifle, though he knew the machine would not be affected by it. Suddenly he saw a flash of light from Cameron's IFW and the T-900 was thrown backwards with the force of the blast, a bit battered but still in one piece.

"Its armor is made with coltan, but enhanced to make it even stronger and resistant to plasma," Cameron stated crisply as she helped John to his feet and dragged him back to safety.

The T-900 rose to its feet, seemingly unharmed by the IFW. John's mind was working overtime trying to figure out a way to either electrocute the thing or incapacitate it long enough to remove the chip. Before he could, he saw a flash of silver out of the corner of his eye and saw a small object land near the machine.

"Grenade!" Cody shouted. John dove for cover, but the grenade didn't explode. Instead, it sent out a shockwave of some kind. The T-900 assassin crumpled to the ground, lying motionless.

John jerked his head around, seeing Cameron lying prone as well and finally realizing that the grenade must have set off some kind of EMP. "Cody!" he shouted, gesturing to the fallen assassin.

Cody instantly darted forward, removing the T-900s helmet and cutting into its head to remove the chip.

"Hey, Connor!" a voice called.

John looked up the hill to see Matt Storms making his way down, looking worried. "Is everyone alright? Did I get here in time?"

"Yeah," John muttered, still puzzled. "Who sent you?"

"John Henry," Storms replied. "He seemed to think you might have resistance and when I showed him this new weapon…"

"What exactly was that?"

"Electro-Magnetic Pulse Grenade," Storms explained. "An EMPG. Juan Lopez, my co-worker from SRD was the one who designed it. I gave one to Derek when he left for the Gray base."

For a moment John froze, his face twisting in shock and confusion. "What? Derek went where?"

**************

**Two Hours Ago...**

**Serrano Point**

**Soldier Quarters**

Derek hated himself. He hated doubting John Connor. But more and more, he was starting to see that Dietze was right. At least about the fact that John was in love with a machine. There was hardly any doubt as to that statement. But was Cameron _manipulating _John or not? Was she really running the show? And if so, for what purpose? Why the big deception? She had plenty of opportunities to kill John if that's what she wanted.

Dietze was in the bunk room again, talking to Jesse, his commander, about what had happened at Zion when she was still on the _Carter. _

"He risked all of our lives for a Gray and a bunch of metal lovers," Dietze was ranting, his anger not directed at Jesse but at the General of the Resistance. "Just because it told him to."

"Connor knows what he's doing," Jesse protested with a twinge of annoyance. Everyone was used to hearing Dietze's complaints. He'd always made his position quite clear. "He's led us through so much already. Why don't you trust him now?"

Over at the door, Derek winced, as if the question had been directed at him, not Jesse's stubborn Lieutenant. Because Derek _had_ trusted Connor. Almost completely. Right up until yesterday in the infirmary.

"Because they're _machines_," Dietze shot back. "He's trusting the enemy, trusting secrets to them. They can't be trusted. None of them."

"Well, Queeg's a good bloke."

Derek felt his face flush with anger at that and he stepped into the room, causing both of them to look up. "Right… Queeg…" he said with a plastered-on smile that was fooling no one. "Doesn't that bother you? Knowing that that thing is in charge and if it flips-"

"Exactly!" Dietze exclaimed.

Derek turned toward him with a scowl. "Shut up and get out."

Dietze's face flushed. "You gonna make me?"

"Get out," Jesse ordered.

Dietze looked miffed but was forced to obey the order of his commander. "Fine. I just hope you can talk some sense into her."

As soon as he left, Jesse merely shook her head. "I don't think that will happen, Derek. The memory scrub is almost flawless. The only relapse a machine has had is the rogue in Depot II. All the others have held."

"I can't believe you're agreeing with him…" Derek muttered.

"Cameron has assured us that the probability of a reversion--."

"_Cameron_?" Derek blurted, interrupting, unable to hide his disgust. "No, not Cameron. _It_. It's not a person, it's a machine. It shouldn't have a name." He hated how he was sounding – whining - just like Dietze always had. Except Dietze's hatred was merely prejudice against the machines. Derek had more than enough reason to mistrust them. Especially the one called Cameron. The one who had tortured him into betraying John Connor. The one who had promised his brother's safety. And then had Firebase burned to the ground.

What could he do to make Jesse understand that those things weren't people? That the machines weren't on the Resistance's side. "Listen…" he began. "Connor has a secret chamber inside Depot II right near his private quarters. Inside is a machine."

"Machine?" Jesse repeated dubiously. "Like a Terminator?"

"No, a _time_ machine," Derek corrected. "He told me about it. But you know who has access to that time machine? Who could access the biometric panel? Who could get in there and use the thing – for good or bad, whatever reason, at any time?"

Jesse sighed. "Enlighten me."

"Connor and _her_," Derek spat. "That's it. The machine has access to one of Connor's most secret weapons. It could go in there without him knowing and send a machine back in time to… I don't know… kill Connor or something."

"Not all the machines are bad, Derek," Jesse replied wearily.

For a moment, Derek just stared at her. What was making her talk this way? A month or two ago, she never would have been _defending _the metal monsters that had invaded the Resistance.

"What happened to you?" he demanded. "You didn't use to be like this. When we first met, you seemed… disgusted to have a metal driving your sub. Now…"

Jesse looked away, shrugging as if it was no big deal. "He saved my life, Derek. He saved my mother's life."

_Queeg, _Derek realized with revulsion. She'd become attached to him. Like a pet or something. "It," he corrected. "Not he, _it_. Listen to me, no matter how they look on the outside, we don't know what's going on in there. It didn't save you because it thought you were worth anything, it didn't save you because it thought human life was sacred. It rescued you because that is what it is programmed for. Nothing more. There's no feeling behind it. They do what they're told. They don't have free will."

"Connor says –."

"Connor's being corrupted."

Jesse's mouth snapped shut and as soon as the words came out, Derek instantly regretted them. How was he to know if John Connor didn't have a master plan? Sure, he was attached to Cameron, but it felt wrong to be speaking of his commander in such a way, especially one who had brought them through so much, one who had been like a son to Kyle Reese. Kyle had trusted John, machines and all. So why couldn't he, Derek, do the same?

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed," he murmured, pressing on with his argument. Maybe he truly didn't believe Connor was being manipulated. But if his words could prevent Jesse from becoming a metal-lover, then maybe it was worth it. "Who does he consult? Her. Who does he plan strategies with? Her. Are any humans involved in this process? No. Let me ask you, who's in charge here? Is John Connor running this war? Or is Cameron running him?"

"We can't win without them," Jesse pointed out logically. "Skynet has us outnumbered and outgunned. If Cameron hadn't helped us at Topanga, we wouldn't have won! Kyle wouldn't had the chance to be a hero…"

At the mention of his brother, Derek stiffened, the familiar pain and anger washing over him. "Yes, but he'd still be alive," he muttered darkly. "It's how it is, Jesse. They kill, that's what they do. It's _all_ they do. And they don't stop. Everywhere they go, everything they do, they carry death. It was Cameron who talked John into going to rescue that Gray trash. And many of our own soldiers were killed. Everyone on the _Seawolf _died. In defense of the enemy."

He saw Jesse's gaze flick away and he knew he had gotten to her. The _Seawolf _had practically been her neighbor. She'd known all the crew members on it, just like she knew the _Carter's. _The loss of that many people seemed to be making her think.

"Surely there must be some good that came out of it," she said in a quiet voice.

"No," Derek retorted. And suddenly he remembered his promise. His promise to make Logan give up Fischer's location as soon as they got back. His eyes narrowed as the familiar hatred started to take over.

"Not yet."

***************

**Serrano Point**

Derek stared at the former Gray seated across from him, his gaze dark and penetrating. Logan didn't seem nervous or anything, merely uneasy or wary, as if he believed Derek would attack him at any moment, just for being a Gray previously.

"I don't care about your past," Derek said firmly. _Not true_, he told himself. Logan was a Gray, had been a Gray. Heck, he was the one who _started _the whole freaking Gray movement. He was up to his neck in this and for that he didn't deserve to be allowed in John's camp.

But Derek had bigger fish to fry. Fish as in Fis_cher. _

"Tell me where the Gray base is," he ordered.

Logan frowned hesitantly, as if recalling the conversation in the Amazon forest where Derek had demanded the location and John had cautioned him, telling him not to worry about it right now. "Connor said--"

"Forget what Connor said," Derek snapped a bit too hastily. "_You _said that you'd tell me as soon as we got back. We're back."

Logan leaned forward intently. "Listen to me," he warned. "You don't know what you're up against. Fischer's base is loaded with booby traps and I hear they've got some new kind of weapon."

Derek wasn't sure if Logan was telling the truth or if he was merely trying to dissuade Derek from going. It didn't matter. Derek shrugged nonchalantly. "Say what you will. You won't talk me out it."

Logan remained silent for a moment, staring into Derek's unblinking eyes and finally nodded once, relenting. "It's here in California, hours away. Some old military type bunker, that's all I know." He further explained the directions as best as he could and Derek nodded and rose from his seat, starting towards the door.

"Be careful," Logan warned. "The place has a lot of booby traps."

_Yeah. You probably helped design them, _Derek thought bitterly. "Booby traps," he repeated aloud, allowing a wry smile to cross his face. "Fischer's a coward."

_And for that, he'll die._

**************

**Serrano Point**

**Soldier Quarters**

Jesse was in his bunkroom when Derek returned, her anxious face searching his, as if seeing the determination and killer impulse there. Derek scooped up his backpack, barely acknowledging her.

"I'm going after Fischer," he stated. "Logan told me about the Gray Base. It's not too far. I'll pull together a team."

Jesse's face was knit together in confusion. "What did Connor say?"

"Nothing," Derek replied, never looking up. "He's kind of busy at the moment, running off to go help that space ship or whatever."

"You're obsessed with this revenge," Jesse remarked, shaking her head back and forth slowly. "Connor won't like this."

"Connor doesn't need to know." Derek almost winced at the words that came from his own mouth and he quickly looked up to meet her disapproving gaze. "Come on, Jesse. If we kill Fischer, we've shattered the Grays. We could destroy their base. It will be an asset to Connor."

"You say kill," she remarked neutrally. "Not capture."

Derek's face darkened and Jesse noticed immediately, coming to his side and gripping his arm affectionately. "He's a monster, I know," she agreed. "What he did to you was awful, and I can understand how you feel." As she continued, he could hear the righteous anger form in her voice. If he hated Fischer, then she did too. Because they were a team. "He's the worst of them, you're right," she finished bitterly. "Let me come with you. I can help you. He needs to die."

"I know," Derek concurred. "But _I'm _going to be the one to kill him. Please, just… stay here where it's safer."

She frowned, giving him a cross look. "I don't need babysitting," she replied stubbornly, crossing her arms.

"I know," he agreed. "But… it will make me feel a lot better if I knew you were okay."

Her eyes softened and she came into his arms, holding him tightly. And as Derek Reese held on, he realized that she was the last thing he had. Kyle was gone. John was distanced. Ever since Wisher's revelation of being the cause of Skynet, Derek hadn't spoken with him much. Jesse was the only thing he really cared about.

Jesse…

And Fischer's death.

He pulled away, heading for the door. "I have to do this."

************

**Two Hours Later...**

**Serrano Point**

**Entrance**

John hurried through the tunnel, followed by Cameron and the other soldiers, as well as Captain Reynolds and the two astronaut kids. Reynolds let out a whistle as he observed everything going in Serrano.

"This be a mighty fine shindig you got going on here," he remarked with a sense of pride. "I mean, for being a post apocalyptic refuge on a broken world. Mind if we take a look around?"

"Be my guest," John said distractedly, searching the crowd. Finally he saw who he was looking for: Major Perry, the man he'd left in charge of Serrano during his absence.

"Connor," Perry greeted, nodding to Captain Reynolds and the Dekker boys. "I see we have some new recruits. Did you get the metal?"

At first John thought he was referring to the T-900 whose chip was still in John's pocket for reprogramming. But then he realized Perry was talking about the Halypsion metal that the _Serenity _was bringing down from Mercury.

"I sent Blair to the island SRD with the shipment," he replied. "Hopefully they can use it for more of those T-1000s, which remind me later, I have to talk to Matt about arranging to meet with one. But right now, first things first. Where the heck did Derek go?"

Perry looked taken aback at his tone. "He took a team out to the Gray Base that Logan told him about."

"And you just _let_ him?" John demanded angrily. _Why did I leave you in charge, again?_

"He said you had authorized it," Perry replied, now seeming troubled.

_Blast it, Reese…_

"He said that you knew Logan was going to tell him the location," Perry continued. John almost laughed. _Clever, Derek. Following orders just barely without violating them. _Because when they were in the Amazon, John had never actually forbidLogan to tell Derek the location. In fact, if Derek twisted it around - which he had - he could even play the card that John had merely been saying "wait till we get back to Serrano."

The only person Derek would have spoken to would have been Jesse, so John hurried to her bunkroom, grateful to find that she was still there.

"You didn't go with Derek," he remarked.

Jesse shrugged impassively. "Didn't feel like it."

He crossed his arms, not buying her cool attitude for a second. "Right. What did he say before he left? What brought this on?" Had Derek just suddenly remembered that night in the forest? Had he seen Logan and remembered his promise?

Jesse hesitated. "He was talking about the machines. About Cameron and how you shouldn't trust her." Her manner suggested that she didn't completely agree with Derek, that _she _still trusted John's judgment even if Derek didn't. Which, Derek's mistrust was odd because during the blood transfusion, Derek had seemed so trusting, so loyal. John had even wondered why Derek had changed his mind. So why would he be jumping back to his old ways again, so quickly?

"Thanks," he muttered to Jesse before he hurried back out the door. Why was trust so easily broken here in the future? No sooner had he earned it back then something else would strip it away again. But why? What had Derek heard or seen that had changed his mind? And why Derek? Why was _Jesse _still on his side? He'd always thought she would be the one to convince Derek that Cameron and the machines were evil, not the other way around.

_Ah, Derek, _John thought to himself. _What are you doing?_

*************

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

_John stood in front of his uncle, running a hand through his short hair before his face flushed with anger and he crossed his arms against his chest. Derek just didn't understand._

_"You trust the machine," he said._

_John shook his head. Not just _the machine_. "Cameron…"_

_"_Cameron_," Derek spat out angrily. "What a joke. Walking around with a name, like it's a person. It's not a person! It's not something you should be trusting!"_

_John remained tight-lipped, refusing to rise to Derek's bait. His uncle had never liked Cameron, not since he'd arrived. He'd berated her, belittled her. But John had seen the truth. He'd heard it in her voice, her unusually soft voice speaking to him as they lay on that hotel room bed._

_That couldn't be a machine. _

_She _wasn't _just a machine._

_As if he could read John's mind, Derek took an accusing step forward. "When you checked her power cell in the hotel room…"_

_John's face flushed bright red. "How did you know about--"_

_"Did you think there was anything romantic in that?" Derek demanded, unrelenting. "Do you think there was anything like that going through her head? She knows how you feel about her. You'd have to be blind NOT to see it. So did you ever consider that she did it so that you would realize that there's no heart under there?"_

_John's eyes widened in absolute shock. "No," he whispered. "No, that can't be…" That wasn't why she had done that! It couldn't be! He wanted to yell at Derek, to pound him with his fists, howling about how wrong his uncle was about her. "No, no, no!"_

"John!"

"No…" John muttered, suddenly snapping his eyes open in the darkness to see Cameron leaning over top of him, shaking him awake gently, her face betraying her worry.

John sat up, panting heavily, trying to calm himself. _Just a dream, _he thought, putting a hand on his head. _Just a dream… right?_

"Cameron," he began hesitantly. "That's not true is it? Tell me it's not true."

Cameron, of course, was naturally confused as to the context of his statement, but to appease him she replied, "It's not true."

He had to know. Had to know for sure. "Why did you make me check your power cell?"

Cameron cocked her head, puzzled. "I thought we already had this conversation. Right afterward."

"Refresh my memory."

Cameron seemed to contemplate that before deciding that perhaps John had indeed forgot. After all, humans could not store memories like a machine could. "You would not have believed me had I checked for myself," she reminded him.

That's why she did it. He tried to make himself breathe a sigh of relief that wouldn't come. "So it wasn't because… you wanted me to see that you didn't have a heart."

Her face appeared to crumple. "You told me I did."

"What?"

"You told me I have a heart," she reminded him. "Like the Tin Man. You said I couldn't see it but it's there."

He remembered all too clearly, her reading him the story, their middle of the night chat about love, the Tin Man, and hearts. He smiled slightly and nodded quickly.

"I know. It was just… just a bad dream."

***************

**Gray Base**

**September 6, 2027**

Derek Reese had led his group of volunteers over three quarters of the distance towards the Gray Base Logan had described. Some of his most loyal friends had automatically volunteered to help: Sayles, Timms, Sumner… Wisher.

Hammy and Seth had offered to help as well. Their recent mission together in the Amazon had drawn them all into a tight knit circle. And although they didn't always see eye to eye, especially when it came to Cameron, they were friends. Some of the few Derek had anymore.

"So this Gray base," Seth mused aloud. "We're trying to capture it? Or are we on an assassination mission?"

"Assassination mission," Derek replied curtly, then paused to check his tone. "Charles Fischer is there."

Seth reacted to the name. "Right. The scum-bag of the universe."

Derek cracked a smile. "Yeah. That's the one."

"Awesome," Seth replied, a gleam in his eye. "Let's kick some metal."

Derek looked up to see the Gray Base in the distance, a Terminator guard on patrol outside. He fingered the EMPG Matt Storms had given him, but decided to save it for later. Instead he charged up his new IFW and crept forward, shooting a blast the decapitated the machine.

Working in synch, Seth hurried up and blasted the chip port with his plasma rifle before following Derek inside the building. It wasn't nearly as crowded as Derek had imagined. Either that or the Grays were all hiding.

All he knew for sure was that Fischer was here somewhere. Probably hiding, like the coward he was. Dimly, he heard Logan's warning voice in his head about booby traps, but Derek ignored it, pressing forward.

The rest of his team took out a few Terminators along the way and finally they reached the inner hallway of the facility. And as Derek stood at one end, he saw his target.

Standing on the other end of the long hallway was Charles Fischer himself.

The overpowering sense of revenge took hold and Derek clenched his jaw, tightening his grip on his rifle. Fischer moved quickly, ducking into a side tunnel.

Derek should have stopped right there. Should have assessed the situation. In the back of his mind, it registered that there were many dark corridors along the tunnel where something could be hiding, waiting to ambush him. Booby traps… or Terminators.

But when Derek saw Fischer run down that tunnel, his muscles sprang into motion involuntarily and he started after the Gray, his arms pumping furiously. He heard the frantic footsteps of his team behind him, suddenly heard Seth's frantic voice shout.

"Derek, no!"

As soon as the warning came, Derek saw the flash of movement in the shadowy corridor, saw the massive shape lunge forward out of the darkness, moving for his neck.

It was a dog. Some kind of Terminator dog, endoskeleton only, its metal teeth gleaming viciously.

A body slammed into Derek, hurtling him across the floor. Derek jerked his head up to see the Terminator dog sink its teeth into Seth's neck.

"Seth!" Derek screamed, shooting his weapon at the machine. It dropped Seth's motionless body and dodged Derek's plasma blast, giving a mechanical howl that sent chills up Derek's spine. Instantly three more of the robot dogs came out of the shadows, cutting Derek off from the rest of his shell-shocked team members, who held their rifles at the ready. He saw fear reflected on every one of their faces. Kristin kept glancing at Seth's body, horrified at what the monster dogs had done.

As the machines circled, Derek realized what was happening. They were like hunters, pack animals, working together to herd in their prey and strike. And they were fast, fast enough to dodge the plasma blasts.

These… demon dogs… Hell-Hounds…

Seth…

Derek reached into his backpack. The Hounds reacted to the movement, lunging his way first. Instantly the rest of his team let loose with a volley of plasma blasts. A few lucky shots hit one of the Hounds but did little damage.

Derek grasped the silver object in his hand and rolled it across the floor just as the lead Hound lunged for him.

The EMPG went off and instantly the three dogs dropped to the ground motionless. Kristin was the first to come forward, inspecting the dog's skull and finding its chip port.

While the rest worked to disable the Hounds, Derek crawled forward on the floor to where Seth lay, grasping the young soldier's body in his arms, horrified and grief stricken as he stared at the bloody bite marks on Seth's neck, the steel jaws of the Hell-Hound that had killed him instantly.

Seth never had a chance.

Derek could feel the tears burning at his eyes. "Why?" he whispered hoarsely to Seth's innate face. "Why'd you do that? Why'd you save me?"

"Derek," Sayles lay a hand on his arm, coaxing him to his feet. "We have to go. Now. Those things can communicate with each other. More of them will be coming to investigate. We're no match for them. We have to get out of here."

Derek nodded numbly, rising to his feet, lifting Seth's limp body. As he and his team hurried out, the only thing Derek Reese could think about was Seth Kohl, his _friend _and teammate, lying dead in his arms.

Seth - who had lunged forward, throwing Derek from the jaws of death and getting caught in it himself. _Why? _Derek thought bitterly. _I'm not worth it. _

They stopped at a shelter when daylight hit, burying Seth's body in the ground. Derek had barely paid attention to the small funeral service. He couldn't focus, couldn't shake the intense feeling of guilt.

If he hadn't charged forward blindly, Seth would still be alive.

If he hadn't been so obsessed by revenge, Seth would still be alive.

Sayles sat by his side, remaining silent for a long time before speaking slowly. "I know you think this is your fault," he said. "But… you can't let this get to you. You reacted without thinking, but you've learned your lesson, right?" Sayles hesitated. "I mean, maybe something good can come of it."

"Good?" Derek was taken aback. "Sayles… an innocent kid is dead because of me. He's dead. Nothing… nothing good ever comes of that, not ever."

Nothing could bring Seth back. Nothing Derek did now. 'Learning his lesson' as Sayles put it, did nothing to help. It didn't matter what he learned.

Seth would always be dead.

Connor was right. _Human beings can't be replaced. They die and they never come back._

As soon as they arrived back in Serrano, Derek didn't go to brief Connor with the rest of the team. He went straight for his quarters, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. Exhaustion, pain, guilt, grief…

He heard footsteps running up behind him and soon Jesse was standing in his quarters as well, her face stricken, suggesting that she'd already been told the news. Derek's face crumbled at the heartbroken look on her face and soon the whole story spilled out, including his part and how he'd caused Seth's death. Jesse pulled him closer, her voice soft and soothing.

"It's not your fault, baby," she whispered.

But no matter how sincere she was, her attempt to comfort him was failing. Because he knew her words were a lie, whether she realized it or not.

He knew better. He knew exactly why Seth Kohl had died. It was because of Derek's insatiable hatred for Charles Fischer, his recklessness and carelessness and lust for revenge.

_Not my fault? Of course it is._

Derek felt a pang in his heart as he realized the cold, hard truth of the matter.

Seth Kohl was dead.

And Derek Reese had killed him.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: KRISTIN: Seth Kohl is dead. JOHN: What? What happened? KRISTIN: Ask Derek Reese. CAMERON: Sam will miss Seth. JOHN: What about you? [Derek finds Cameron alone in the hallway] DEREK: I got him killed. I'm a danger to everyone around me. [He holds out his pistol to Cameron.] I know Connor won't do it. But you can. [Cameron's fingers tighten around the gun.]_


	43. Born to Forget

_author's note: Sorry it's a day late. I was doing homework last night and completely forgot to upload it. :(_

_

* * *

Previously on Born to Fight: DEREK: Tell me, where's Fischer's base? __LOGAN: Be careful. That place is full of booby traps. __[Derek enters the base with his team. He sees Fischer at the end of a dark hallway and moves forward without thinking.] SETH: Derek, no! __JOHN: Listen to me. If you can't learn to control your hatred, you're gonna get someone killed. [Seth shoves Derek clear and is killed by the Terminator Dog.] DEREK: (clutching Seth's body) Why'd you do that? Why'd you save me? JESSE: It's not your fault. DEREK: Yes it is. He's dead… because of me._

**Chapter Forty Three:**

**Born to Forget**

**Serrano Point**

**Mess Hall**

John sat at the cafeteria, stuffing another one of Cameron's delicious pancakes into his mouth. Cameron was seated right beside him, with Captain Reynolds and Zach and Austin Dekker around the table as well.

"This is really good," Nathan said with an impressed look.

"Thank you," Cameron replied.

Nathan gave John an incredulous look. "Wait, she made this?"

John smirked. "Yep. Killer Terminator and amazing cook." From the other table, he saw Dietze's lip curl. The rest of the soldiers in the mess hall seemed to be minding their own business. Solo, as usual was standing at attention in the corner, not eating anything. Ellison, Cody, and Savannah were at a table, enjoying a meal of pancakes while Savannah chatted with John Henry who had taken time to hang out with her. Jesse was at a table with Cully and Bird, no doubt anxiously awaiting Derek's return from the Gray base.

John refocused on the conversation at his own table.

"Your jacket is tight," Cameron was saying.

Nathan looked down, inspecting it proudly. "You like? Brown's kinda always been my color."

Ever since he arrived, Zach appeared to have developed some kind of bizarre crush on Cameron, despite the knowledge that she was a cyborg. At first it had irked John, but Cameron, through word and actions, had always proved to him that she would never be interested in anyone else.

"So do you like pancakes?" Zach asked.

Cameron nodded. "Yes. I had two. Do I look fat?"

Zach's eyes widened. "No, of course not." He lapsed into silence for a moment trying to come up with something else to say to her. "So what's it like, living here?"

Cameron glanced over at John. "It's… different than it used to be," she replied. "We just recently started growing food in Perth. And we used to be in a different bunker. The rooms were smaller."

"Rooms," Zach said, scrunching up his nose. "Are there regular quarters somewhere? On our tour we saw a bunch of bunkrooms. I thought that was where everyone slept."

"I sleep with John," Cameron replied matter-o-fact-ly.

Austin raised an eyebrow and Nathan almost choked, both of them taking it the wrong - or right - way. John buried his face his hands, feeling his cheeks heat up. _Kill me now…_

The comment had stirred a response from the previously unusually quiet Dietze. He stood up in his chair, his face flushed.

"Well, isn't that something?" he asked with an utterly fake smile. "The truth comes out. How can you all be so accepting of this? Am I the only one who still remembers what she is? What _it _is? Nothing but a computer, a tin can with a computer for a brain that happens to look like a human girl. And if Connor can't see that--."

Nathan interrupted him by commenting lightly, speaking to John's table alone, "Ain't it funny how the dumbest people always have the most to say?"

John saw Cameron smile slightly, but Nathan's comment only increased Dietze's rage. He came over, grabbing Nathan's shoulder.

"You wanna go, astronaut?"

Nathan turned to regard the sailor coolly. "Now, listen here, boy. Firstly, if you want to ever use that hand again, I suggest you remove it. Secondly, your mouth is talking and I suggest you see to that. Third, if I wanted to 'go' I would do so in the bathroom down the hall." Dietze's face seemed to be getting redder by the second. "Now why don't you run along before you get yourself hurt."

Dietze held his tongue, quickly turning and storming away. The room lapsed into dead silence with Cameron studying Nathan curiously before turning to John and remarking, "I like him."

The mess hall door swung open and John saw Kristin Hamilton enter, her face an emotionless mask when she reported, "Seth Kohl is dead."

John's smile at their return dropped instantly off his face. "What?" he choked out. He saw the information register on Cameron's face, but her emotions remained unidentifiable. Did she feel grief? Sorrow? Seth had been her friend, one of her only strong supporters. He'd been the one to help her train Sam.

He swallowed hard. "How? What happened?"

A flash of anger crossed Kristin's face. "Ask Derek Reese."

As she stalked off down the hall, John's brow furrowed. "Derek…" What had his uncle done? From the corner of his eye he saw Jesse quickly push back her chair, hurrying out the hall. He spotted Sayles and Timms coming in, both their heads hanging as well.

"What happened?" he asked. "To Seth?"

Sayles looked up gloomily. "The Hell-Hounds happened."

"What? What's a Hell-Hound?"

Sayles gave a dry laugh. "Skynet's latest and greatest. T-D1, Terminator Dogs. The endoskeletons at least. Demonic things. We took a group to hunt down Fischer at the Gray Base Logan told us about."

"And?" John prodded.

"Reese…" Sayles hesitated. "He got… he started getting really obsessed by it all, dead set on killing Fischer."

John swallowed hard, already having a good idea of where this was going. "Was Fischer there?"

"He was there," Sayles admitted with a nod. "And Derek saw him. He broke standard procedure, he didn't check the surroundings, just charged in, wanting to reach Fischer. He fell right into the trap."

"The trap?"

"The Hounds were waiting for someone to cross that spot, waiting to pounce. But Seth Kohl must have seen the movement a split second before those things leaped. He knocked Derek out of the way." Sayles's face twisted. "The Hounds got him instead."

John slumped back in his chair, feeling deflated. Derek… had gotten Seth killed? His own squad member? His teammate? His _friend. _Was his hatred that strong? Couldn't he control it?

He was aware of the grave silence in the room. He couldn't say anything, couldn't believe it. What had Derek been thinking? And Seth… sacrificed his life for Derek's…

Cameron spoke up softly from his side. "Sam will miss Seth."

The words hit a nerve and John turned to look at her, squinting his eyes. "What about you? Do you… do you miss him?"

Cameron looked away, as if contemplating the question or trying to assess her feelings. "He was my friend," she said finally. "I don't have many friends. His absence is… a loss."

John glanced away, then looked up at Nathan and the Dekkers. "You'll have to excuse me. You can set up bunks in the soldier quarters. Cully will show you."

Cully stood up quickly, saluting. "Yes, sir."

"Good," John said crisply, standing up and starting down the hall.

****************

**Serrano Point**

**Soldier Quarters**

"It's not your fault, baby," Jesse said softly, comfortingly. Derek held her tightly, but he knew the words were a lie.

_Of course it's my fault. If it weren't for me, he'd still be alive._

Derek shut his eyes tightly, as if he could close off the memory of his part in Seth's death. But he knew there was no remedy, nothing that could take away the pain. Nothing.

His hatred made him a danger to those around him. Having an innocent kid like Seth take his place in death was bad enough. But what if Connor had been there? What if Connor had tried to save him from the Termi-dog? Derek's recklessness would have lost them everything.

He pulled away from Jesse, mumbling an excuse about having to go make a briefing and slipped out of the room, wandering down the hall. He didn't deserve to be a soldier in the Resistance anymore. Maybe he should just ask John to discharge him, to send him away. Exile, even.

Or maybe Connor would be so ticked off that he'd shoot Derek himself for disobeying orders. Derek shook his head, dismissing that last thought. Connor wouldn't do that.

But maybe Cameron would.

He found her on her way back from the mess hall and stopped her. "Hey, I need to talk to you."

She gave him a cool look. "So talk."

Derek held out his gun. "I'm a danger to everyone around me. I betrayed John Connor and I got an innocent soldier killed. My execution is the only way to keep everyone safe. I know Connor won't do it. But you can."

Cameron took the gun, but she didn't shoot it. "You cannot die yet, Derek Reese."

He looked up, frowning. "What?"

"You still have a purpose."

"A… a _purpose?" _Was he actually hearing this from a machine? A killer Terminator refusing to execute him? After all he'd done? "But you have to. I've disobeyed John Connor… I took action into my own hands--"

"I pardon you."

"_You _pardon me?"

"I am second in command," she reminded him. "My purpose in this position is to protect John Connor and ensure that Skynet is defeated. I cannot self-terminate without fulfilling my purpose." She carefully handed him back the gun. "And neither can you."

Derek stared at it dumbly before shoving it back in its holster. "So now what?"

"Come with me," she stated. "There may be a way to help you."

***************

**Serrano Point**

**Tech Room**

John Connor sat across from Derek in the tech room. Cameron had called in John Henry and Weaver to join in the discussion as well. If Derek was uncomfortable with all the attention, he didn't show it.

"Why don't you explain for yourself," John offered coolly.

Derek wet his lips, nodding once before beginning. "I'm sure you've heard the news by now. That poor kid is dead… because of me. Because I couldn't control my hatred."

"Why not?" It was Weaver who asked the question and Derek shot her a suspicious look before deciding to answer honestly.

"Because every time I hear the words 'Fischer' or anything that reminds me of him, I'm back in that room. And he's there, torturing me and all I want to do is kill him, to make him pay for what he's done. And I can't stop it. No matter how hard I try, I can't get rid of the hate. It just comes to surface and I barely have control of my actions. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

John almost shook his head no. "Derek…" But suddenly he realized that, yes, he did. With Sarkissian. He'd felt the rage consume him. His hands had moved almost without thinking. He'd kept up the grip, violently jerking until Sarkissian's neck had snapped. He could have pulled back at anytime. A part of him was saying let go, that his mother was up, that Sarkissian couldn't do any more damage. But all he could think about was the sight of Sarkissian standing over his mother, punching her in the face. And all he could think of was how much he wanted Sarkissian to pay for what he had done.

After the long pause, John Henry spoke up in his ever cheerful voice. "There may be a solution. I have received word from my spies that Skynet is developing a new technology, some form of memory capture device."

Both John and Derek frowned. "What does that mean?" Derek asked.

"Using this technology, Skynet will be able to scan a human brain and view their memories," Weaver explained.

"Mind reading," John interjected.

Weaver smiled mysteriously. "Correct."

"A kind of mind reading," John Henry added.

"What would they do with that?" John asked.

Weaver watched him curiously. "What do you think?"

John paused, pondering the situation. "They could capture Resistance fighters and use it to look at all the secrets locked inside their memories. Locations, weapons, strategies."

"Or they could use it to create better infiltrators," Cameron added. "The Terminator could observe the human's memories, learn how they act, how they talk, how others reacted to them. They would be perfect infiltrators."

"How will this help Derek?" John protested.

"You can use that same technology to target certain memories and permanently delete them," John Henry replied.

John understood instantly, but Derek's face hardened with wariness. "Delete. Like a memory scrub?"

"No," John Henry explained. "Only certain memories would be erased. The memory of your torture session and perhaps any conversations afterwards regarding it. When you're done, you won't remember anything about Fischer."

Derek remained silent, absorbing that idea. Not remembering Fischer had to be appealing to him. If he didn't remember, he'd have no need for revenge, and that revenge wouldn't be consuming his life and getting other people killed.

"I guess it's worth a shot," Derek admitted. He cast a glance at Cameron. "I mean it's better than… self-terminating before I've fulfilled my purpose."

John quirked an eyebrow but said nothing.

"When do we leave?" Derek asked, his face full of anticipation.

"At sundown," John replied. "We'll take the helicopter."

*************

**Resistance Helicopter**

**Somewhere over the California Border**

John sat in the back of the helicopter across from Derek, neither of them having said a word since they taken off nearly an hour ago. Cameron was flying the helicopter towards the Colorado Mountains where John Henry had said the CSRD was. Before they had left, Matt Storms had come to John and informed him that Brooks and Wallace, John's two engineers had reverse engineered the nuclear power cells from a captive Terminator, using it as a power source for vehicles and weapons. It had yet to be tested, but Storms said that it would reduce engine noise and eliminate the need for fuel.

"You've been quiet for forty-eight minutes," Cameron remarked from the pilot seat.

John cracked a smile at her accuracy. "What do you suggest we talk about?"

"Levity is always good," Cameron remarked. "It relieves anxiety and fear of death."

John raised an eyebrow and Derek frowned at the suggestion, both of them lapsing into silence once more. Cameron noted this, questioning John, "Was that bad to say?"

"No," he said with a shrug. "Just a… weird, kind of morbid way of saying it."

"Oh. Thank you for explaining."

John chuckled to himself before he caught Derek's intense death stare. "What?" he demanded.

"You still trust her," Derek remarked. "Why do you do that?"

"Why do you have such a problem with it?" John countered.

Derek leaned forward, his face serious. "Imagine for a minute that she's not who you think she is. Imagine that she's really one of them."

"She's not!" John protested.

"Just think about it. Look at the position she's in. Look at what she could do to you if given the chance. Think about how _we _feel. Is there any evidence you have to offer that would prove what you believe?"

"I know her," John said firmly.

"She's an infiltrator," Derek countered. "Designed to look, to talk, to act, to _be _human. Just because she says something doesn't make it so. She could be manipulating you. Every look, every word, every touch…" John pressed his lips together tightly, refusing to acknowledge Derek.

"It's just mimicry," his uncle finished. "They don't feel anything. How can you be _sure _she won't betray you? Don't even say anything about her being reprogrammed because we know how well that holds up."

"You're right," John agreed. "There's always a chance of a reprogrammed terminator going bad." _But she's not a reprogrammed one._

"So why do you trust her then? Why do you _care _about her? About _it_?"

John remained silent for a long moment, trying to decide if he should tell Derek everything. What was the harm in letting him know. In fact, it might even make Derek more accepting of Cameron.

"I knew her," he began. "Before she was created in this timeline. When I was fifteen, she came back in time to protect me from another Terminator."

"Fifteen," Derek snorted. "No wonder you fell for her."

John scowled.

"Did you know?" Derek asked.

John shook his head, remembering the first time he'd met Cameron, how weird it was to have some hot girl trying to make friends with _him_ - the new weird kid. "Not at first, no."

"But you found out. What she was."

"Yes." The next day when Cromartie had shown up and shot three holes in her chest.

"And you still trusted her?" Derek asked, his voice incredulous. "Why?"

"Because I saw that she was different. She became a part of the family. Definitely not normal - but a part of the family. She saved my life countless times. And I began to realize that she was developing emotions."

Derek snorted in disgust. "Emotions. Right."

"Yes," John insisted. "Emotions. Like frustration, jealousy, kindness…" He purposely decided to leave out "love." Derek wouldn't take to that concept very well. "She went bad once."

Derek smirked, as if to say "I told you so."

"There was an explosion and it flipped a switch. She tried to kill me."

"Shocker," Derek muttered.

John ignored his sarcasm. "But she had the chance. I gave her the chance to kill me. And she stood there, holding a gun on me. With one little shot she could have killed me, could have ended this, ended everything. But she didn't. She overrode her own programming and cancelled the termination order."

Derek's mouth was shut and his forehead was knit together, as if he was actually contemplating that. John felt a small spark of hope. Maybe there was a chance that Derek would actually come to like Cameron.

"Since then, she's saved my life," John continued. "And she continues to save my life, doing what is best for me. I used to think she was reprogrammed by myself in the future and sent back. But she wasn't."

"What?"

John took a deep breath before plunging forward. "There's a faction of machines that exist right now. They didn't want Skynet to completely annihilate the human race. They wanted peace, wanted us to co-exist like we have for years. These rogues have been helping us win the war. Many of the so called reprogrammed Terminators are not reprogrammed. They'd chosen. They don't go bad or revert to original programming. They chose. She came to kill me after she took Allison's identity. But when faced with the opportunity, she chose _not_ to terminate me. I restored her memories. She knows everything that she learned from when she was in the past with me."

He paused, studying the look on Derek's face. The hostility wasn't there full-force anymore, but Derek was still guarded, still untrusting and suspicious. Slowly, John's hope faded.

"I don't think there's anything I can say that will convince you that she's different."

"No," Derek replied shortly. "There's not."

**************

**Resistance Helicopter**

**Colorado Border**

Neither Derek nor Connor said anything else for a long while. Derek was still trying to process everything John had told him. Cameron had… overrode her own programming? Because she didn't want to terminate John? No, "_want" _wasn't the right word. They couldn't _want. _She'd overrode her programming because she didn't… any word Derek put after that made no sense. There was only a desire. That was the only reason why she would have done that. But that didn't make sense. She was a machine. She couldn't have desires.

Right?

"Aerostats," Cameron stated, her tone calm but warning. Connor jumped up to the helicopter's controls.

"Here, I'll take the wheel," he said. "You and Derek shoot them down."

Derek took one of the bird's turrets, spinning it around to track one of the aerostats. Cameron accurately shot down a couple. The last aerostat screamed towards the helicopter in a kamikaze run. John jerked the chopper to the left, but the aerostat still clipped the helicopter, tipping it violently as Connor tried to get it under control. Derek pitched forward, trying to grab something to keep himself from flying out of the aircraft.

But suddenly he felt himself falling out, trying to grasp the edge of the helicopter but his fingers slipped off. Just when he thought he was a goner, a strong hand grasped his arm and hauled him back into the helicopter as Connor straightened the aircraft out.

"That's the last of the aerostats," he called back. "Phew, that was a close one."

Derek stared up at Cameron, who released his arm once she was sure he was safely back in the helicopter. Derek's mind buzzed.

"Why? Because I have a purpose?"

"Yes," Cameron agreed. "Your life is sacred."

"Sacred," Derek snorted. "Who taught you that? John?"

"John," Cameron agreed. "And James Ellison."

"So he's been teaching you the Bible?" Derek asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Right. Any words of wisdom to offer?"

"'A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another,'" she quoted, giving Derek a pointed look. "Even if the 'other' is a machine."

Connor chuckled. "Can't argue with that."

Derek made a face. "So she has a learned sense of humor. Doesn't make her human."

Connor looked back, his face completely serious when he countered, "But doesn't it make her more than machine?"

Derek opened his mouth and shut it quickly, unable to think of a reply, so he merely lapsed into silence. About half an hour later, they set down outside the ruins of a city and started for a large, abandoned, dilapidated building to seek shelter during the daylight hours.

Derek had been almost asleep on the helicopter when it landed and soon someone was shaking him awake gently. "Derek, hey, Derek…"

Derek opened his eyes. _Kyle?_

"On your feet, soldier."

Derek shook his head, realizing that it hadn't been Kyle's face, hadn't been Kyle's voice. It was Connor, urging him to move. "We have to get under cover before sun-up."

"Right," Derek murmured, scrambling to his feet and following behind John and Cameron. Derek couldn't shake the feeling. Connor looked so much like Kyle. Even some of his mannerisms were Kyle.

There had to be a connection. It was too much of a coincidence.

"Connor," Derek called. "I need to talk to you."

Connor slowed his pace to be even with Derek, but he never stopped walking. "What is it?" he asked questioningly.

Derek stared for a minute before looking away. "Every time I look at you…" Derek said, his face twisting in agony. "I see my brother. I see Kyle. In your face, in your voice, even in your mannerisms. I know the way he treated you like a son and how you looked up to him like a father." He took a deep breath. "He went back in time, didn't he? That's why you showed me that machine. Because he went back in time and he saved your mother from being terminated." Connor didn't deny it and suddenly everything started to click into place for Derek. "That's why you gave him that picture of her, so he would fall in love with her. You're his son."

John nodded slowly. "Yes. I am."

"So you're my…"

"Nephew," John finished with a small smile.

For a moment, Derek didn't know what to say, simply stared at John Connor with a newfound affection. _Nephew. _This was Kyle's _son_. His brother's son. Kyle had a family…

"Get down!" Cameron's sharp voice knocked him out of his daydream and he spun to see one of those T-D1s, a Hell-Hound, charging for them, having spotted them landing. Dawn was starting to break, but Derek could still see the mechanical dog's red eyes glowing.

Cameron shot her plasma rifle, but the Termi-dog dodged it quickly.

"They're too fast!" Derek shouted at her, charging up his IFW. As the Hell-Hound came closer, Derek saw that this particular mechanical dog had a skin-sheath. Or fur-sheath. It looked like a German Shepherd, just the Resistance dogs. Except that it was completely metal with glowing red eyes and programmed with a killer instinct.

He thought it was odd that only one was around but perhaps this was a scout, not part of a pack.

No sooner had that thought left his mind then he heard a demonic howling behind him and another T-D1 lunged out from behind a pile of rubble. Derek got a paralyzing sense of dejavu as the dog came flying through the air, towards his neck.

_Maybe this is it. Justice for having killed Seth in the same way… _

The thought flashed through his mind, but suddenly Derek was catapulting backwards, landing hard on his back and jolting his head. Cameron had yanked him clear of the attacking dog, throwing up her arm to protect herself against the machine. It's teeth sunk into her arm and yanked her off her feet.

Derek heard a strangled cry from John who had just finished cutting out the chip of the first dog after Cameron's IFW had beheaded it. Even Derek felt a strange flash of something. But surely he wasn't actually concerned for Cameron.

Though she had just saved his life.

Twice.

Cameron grappled with the snarling machine and Derek tried to reach for his fallen IFW, but John got there first, grimly taking aim at the machine. Derek saw him hesitate, afraid of accidentally hitting Cameron, but he finally saw the opening and shot.

The Termi-dog had been occupied with Cameron and had no time to dodge the blast that blew its head off at the neck. John instantly dropped the weapon and rushed forward to Cameron, who was picking herself up off the ground. Derek wasn't sure if John had just forgot that Derek was there or if he just didn't care because the young leader of the Resistance grasped Cameron in a tight hug, whispering something in her ear.

This time, Derek didn't feel the revulsion or disgust he had when he'd seen Cameron and John kissing in the infirmary. _Why am I thinking this way? _He asked himself. Had John really managed to convince him that she was different? And Derek couldn't deny that fact. If she could _want _to override her programming, then she at least had some basic concept of human emotions, if nothing else. If she could _desire _not to kill John, could she also _desire _to have him? To love him?

John had pulled away and gone to retrieve his dropped weapon. Derek got a good look at Cameron. The flesh on her arm was torn apart by the metal dog's steel fangs and blood was dripping from the wound. He could see the metal showing through. Aside from that, she was battered, her jacket torn, all from the fight with the Termi-dog.

All because she had stepped in and prevented that from happening to Derek.

She had saved his life.

Derek finally stood up and as Cameron started walking away to join John, he called after her. "Thank you."

She turned around and he saw a ghost of a smile light up her face as she replied, "You're welcome."

**************

**Colorado**

**Basement of an Old Building**

John had been pleased to notice the obvious difference in Derek. After Cameron had saved his life from the T-D1s, they had found refuge in the still-standing basement of a broken down building. Along the way, Derek hadn't been acting sullen or suspicious of Cameron. That hatred seemed to be gone from his eyes. Instead, he looked at her with curiosity, even friendliness. Almost accepting.

Finally, when Derek turned in for the night, he put an arm on John's shoulder and said with a broad smile, "Good night, nephew."

John enjoyed the feel of his uncle's strong arm around his shoulder. Even Past-Derek had rarely shown much affection. Now, it felt as if they were a family again.

Derek was the first to retreat to his makeshift bed and fall asleep, leaving John and Cameron alone in the darkness of the basement. John looked over at her, feeling a growing sense of joy.

"I think you're starting to get through to him," he remarked with a grin.

Cameron didn't seem to share his happiness. "He won't remember any of this."

John's face fell. "What? Why?"

"The machine can target specific memories," Cameron began. "But John Henry informed me that one of the side effects is it usually deletes the most recent memories. The stress of probing the brain will block out the most recent events. Amnesia of a sort Besides, he can never remember our journey here. He mustn't retain anything that would confuse him or cause him to wonder why he was here."

John scrunched up his face. "That means… he won't like you anymore."

Cameron looked away. "This is how it's supposed to be. He's not supposed to like me. He's not supposed to know about Kyle yet."

John felt his heart break. All this work to convince Derek that Cameron was different and he wouldn't even remember how he had learned to accept her. "Cameron…"

"It's okay, John," she said in a voice that seemed to suggest otherwise. "I'm used to it."

**************

**Colorado Mountains**

**CSRD Laboratory**

As soon as they reached the Colorado SRD, Cameron had set off an EMP, which had incapacitated all the machines in the building. On their way into the laboratory, John and Derek had blasted chips out of the fallen Terminators, making less resistance when they would come out.

Finally, they reached the laboratory chamber where Skynet's memory-reading machine was. Derek looked apprehensive, but allowed Cameron to hook him up to the machine. John stayed by the door, guarding with his IFW. He glanced over once to see Derek unconscious and Cameron working to target all the memories of Charles Fischer and Derek's capture.

It was a slow process, since she had to go through all his memories and take out anything, any conversation that had Fischer in it, any action that resulted from a hatred of Fischer. But Cameron could scan through the memories faster than any human could. John figured it would take another ten minutes maybe.

Finally, Cameron finished the process, announcing with finality. "It's done."

John came over and Cameron pulled the unconscious Derek out of the seat. "Is he okay?" John asked.

"He will be unconscious for several hours at least. The process of probing and deleting memories is very stressful for the brain. We have to carry him out of here and back to the helicopter."

John tampered with the computer system, rigging it to send out an EMP so they would be able to escape. Cameron had wired the mind-reading machine with C4 so that Skynet would not be able to use it against the Resistance.

If he had to guess, John would say they hadn't been able to make use of it yet. The relatively small presence of Terminators suggested that they had just finished building it. Maybe John Henry's spy Terminator was one in this very building.

"Ready," Cameron stated, finishing the C4.

John pushed the button on the EMP.

***************

**Serrano Point**

**Medical Wing**

Derek Reese slowly opened his eyes, staring up into the bright lights of the medical infirmary. He heard Lauren Field's voice announce, "He's awake."

Suddenly he was looking up at the worried face of John Connor. "Connor," he murmured, sitting up on the cot. His eyes instantly locked on the face of John's cyborg protector who stood at Connor's side.

"Why is she here?" he asked, his voice bitter.

"I'm worried about you."

Derek scowled. _What a lie. _"You can't worry," he retorted. "You're a machine." He quickly shifted his gaze to John, bringing on a wave of dizziness. Derek put a hand on his head, groaning. "What happened? Where am I?"

"You're in Serrano Point," Connor replied. "We were on a mission and there was an accident. A concussion grenade. You've been out for a few days. What's the last thing you remember?"

Derek squinted, trying to remember. _Mission? _He hadn't remembered anything about going on a mission with Connor. The last thing he remembered was… "Uh… something about a space shuttle," he murmured. "You got an SOS…"

Connor never blinked. "What about you? What was the last mission you went on?"

The fuzziness in Derek's head had started to leave and his headache from the concussion began to subside, allowing him to think more clearly. His last mission? That would have been the one to South America. "We went to the Amazon," he began. "Right?"

Why was Connor asking this? Were they making sure the concussion hadn't given him amnesia or something?

"Yes," Connor agreed. "That's right. What happened there?"

"We were on the Carter. We rescued a bunch of people from Zion. The Seawolf exploded. We rescued Ellison, Savannah, Logan…"

"Logan is a Gray," Connor interjected. "Do you know who the Grays are?"

Derek almost laughed. "How hard do you think I hit my head? Of course I know who the Grays are," he retorted. Everyone knew who the Grays were. "They're traitors. They work for Skynet."

"Do you know any by name?"

"By name?" Derek repeated incredulously. "Why the heck would I know their names?" Connor seemed satisfied and Derek frowned, suddenly looking around. "Where's Jesse? She made it back from the Amazon right? She was on the _Carter_."

"She's here, at Serrano," Connor replied. "Where she's always been."

Derek felt the relief instantly. Jesse was safe. Kyle was still gone, but he had Jesse. "Good," he said, a sudden thought striking him. "What about my team? Were they caught in the blast like I was?" Had Sayles, Sumner, and Timms survived? What about his young protégé?

"How's Seth?"

A flash of pain crossed Connor's face and instantly Derek felt his heart stop. Connor cast his eyes down. "Seth… is dead, Derek."

Shock exploded across Derek's face at the admission. "What?" he choked out. Seth? Dead? He couldn't be! Seth had been his friend, his teammate! Derek should have been there to protect him, to save him!

"He was killed on the mission," Connor replied, his voice heavy with grief. "I'm sorry."

Derek got to his feet numbly, stumbling out into the hall towards his quarters. No one bothered to stop him.

He found Jesse waiting inside the bunkroom, her face filled with relief. She ran up, greeting him with a hug and a kiss, whispering, "I'm glad you're back safely."

Derek winced, rubbing his head. "Not exactly safe. I got hit by a concussion grenade. Knocked me out. Connor and _her _brought me back."

"So what was the mission?"

_Seth is dead._

Derek tried to force himself to think about Jesse's question. He frowned, blanking out. "Um, I don't know," he said, frowning. Why couldn't he focus? What had he been doing on the mission? Who had been there? What had happened? _Seth is dead._ "I don't think I'm supposed to talk about it."

"Oh…okay," Jesse replied. She seemed to misinterpret his distraught expression. "Are you doing okay? I mean… about Seth?"

_Seth is dead._

Derek felt a fresh wave of sorrow wash over him and his shoulders slumped. "Yeah… yeah, I'll be fine."

Seth's death had hit him hard. He'd liked the kid, liked his spunk, his personality. Of course, he hated the way Seth had always defended Cameron, but still… He'd been a loyal soldier, a good kid. A good _friend_, one of the few friends Derek still had.

And that was something Derek would never forget.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: GARVIN: There's something out there. A machine. UNCLE BOB: My mission is to protect John Connor and ensure the survival of the human resistance. JOHN: You don't remember anything do you? CAMERON: (to Derek) I need your help. I'm planning a birthday party for John. RILEY: Hey, John! Happy birthday! [Cameron slides a knife out of her boot and clutches it tightly, giving Riley a death glare…]_


	44. Born to Celebrate

**Chapter Forty Four**

**Born to Celebrate**

**Serrano Point**

**Soldier Quarters**

**September 9, 2027**

Derek Reese was laying on his bunk, staring up the ceiling mutely. The headaches from the grenade blast seemed to have subsided, even though he still couldn't remember exactly what had happened or even what he'd been doing on that mission. But he did remember Connor's words.

_Seth is dead. _

Even now, Derek still couldn't grasp it.

Cameron stepped into his bunkroom, observing him from a distance before remarking. "You seem distracted."

He snorted. "I was hit by a grenade blast."

"Which is distracting."

Derek sighed, glaring over at her with apprehension. What was she doing here? Why was she bothering him? "What do you want?"

"I need your help," she stated. "I'm planning a birthday party for John. I want to surprise him."

"Is that so?" Derek asked with a slight smirk. "You _want _to surprise him?" He almost laughed. Cameron couldn't _want _anything. She – it – was a machine. It couldn't _desire _anything. He shook his head. "Connor's birthday isn't until November. I thought you would know that."

"I do know that," she replied. "But he would rather have his party now."

Derek snorted. _Um, okay. "_Why should I help you?"

"Because John Connor is your commanding officer," the machine replied. "He has led you through many hard times. He has saved mankind from extinction. And he will have victory against Skynet. You owe him this much."

The more Derek thought about it, the more he realized that she was right. Connor had always been there for him, for everyone. But he'd never really taken time for himself. He never really got to celebrate anything. Derek recalled the time John had asked for his help building a bike for Allison Young's birthday, her third and last birthday party ever. It had been a good time for everyone to take a break from the stress and fear they usually lived in.

It was just a time to celebrate. And in this case, celebrate the twentieth birthday of the leader of mankind.

"Fine," he said grudgingly, rolling off his bunk to follow her into the mess hall. No one else was around. Either Cameron had them all on other duties or he and Cameron were just up before anyone else.

"Where's John?" he asked gruffly.

"He's still sleeping."

Derek's lip twitched, but he didn't comment on why Cameron knew John was still asleep. "You two go to bed late?"

"I don't sleep," came the quick reply.

Which didn't actually answer his question. He had a pretty good guess though…

He forced his hatred of her into the back of his mind. This wasn't about John's cyborg. This was about John's early birthday party and making it the best birthday possible. Because Derek owed him that.

"Are we doing peaches again?" he asked, remembering the "cake" at Allison's party. "Birthday peaches?"

"It's either that or birthday pancakes."

Derek's face clouded. "I'm not eating anything you cook so we better stick with the peaches."

Cameron didn't react to his insulting statement and he decided to stop trying to nag her. She shouldn't react anyway, he told himself. She didn't feel anything. She was a machine.

As Cameron started to retrieve the peaches from the storage area, Derek asked, "Can we break out the beer?"

He knew there was some cases in there from Perth. Dietze had brought some back for special occasions. Of course, "special occasion" for Dietze probably meant the day Cameron, Queeg, and all the other reprogrammed machines on base burned in a pit of thermite.

Which didn't sound so bad when Derek thought about it.

"Why?" Cameron asked.

"It's his birthday," Derek retorted. _Early birthday, but who's keeping track? _"He deserves to get drunk as a skunk." _And I wouldn't mind it either. Maybe it would take my mind off Seth and all the other losses I've faced._

"John becoming intoxicated would be a threat to his health. And yours."

Derek shrugged. "So?"

"What if a Terminator attacks while you are 'drunk as a skunk'?"

"You and that Solo machine can deal with it."

Cameron tilted her head in a way that expressed curiosity. "So you trust that I'd protect you?"

_You'd trust me… _"What?" Derek exploded. "I never said that!"

"Yes, you did."

Derek put a hand on his head. Maybe that grenade blast had hit him harder than he thought. He would _never _trust her. If they all got intoxicated, what was to stop Cameron and Solo and the rest from killing them all?

"Fine," Derek shot back, crossing his arms. "We won't get drunk."

But one or two drinks wouldn't hurt.

The mess hall door opened and in walked Captain Reynolds and the two Dekker boys. Derek had been introduced to them last night.

"What's all the fuss about?" Reynolds asked with a roguish smile.

"We're planning John's surprise party," Cameron replied.

Zach's eyes lit up. "Shiny!"

"Are you gonna give him a present?" Austin asked.

Derek glanced over at Cameron who merely said, "Yes."

"What is it?" Austin prodded.

"I can't tell you."

Derek curled his lip. "I can imagine."

He wasn't sure if the Reynolds and the two young men understood John's relationship with Cameron, but he didn't elaborate and they didn't ask what he meant.

"How old is he?" Zach asked. The young man seemed to have taken a liking to Cameron, something that disgusted Derek. Not as much as John's relationship with her, but still... Didn't Zach realize what she was?

"He'll be twenty," Cameron said, in response to Zach's question about John's age.

Austin's eyes widened. "Twenty? Really? I'm older than he is? How in space did he become your leader?"

"It's complicated."

_ For once, we agree, _Derek thought with a bitter smile. He was finding it increasingly difficult to remember life _without _John Connor as their leader. He knew they hadn't been doing well at all until the young man came along with knowledge and war-experience far beyond his years.

"We didn't really have birthdays up on Mercury," Austin was chatting on. "There really wasn't much to work with. Not to say you have a lot either."

"You'd be surprised," Derek remarked. "A few years ago, Connor was able to make a bike for Allison Young's birthday."

Zach's eyes widened in respect. "A bike? Out of all this? Really?"

"Yeah, it was a piece of junk, but it had sentimental value, I suppose. Birthdays aren't something we usually do. Connor started it when he threw the party for Allison. This is the first since then."

"Zach," Cameron addressed. The young astronaut quickly jumped to attention.

"Yes? What do you need?"

"I need you to tell everyone to meet here in the mess hall for the surprise party," Cameron stated.

Derek smirked. Gotta love how she didn't technically _ask _Zach to do so. She'd ordered him. But Zach, with his pathetic little-boy-like crush on her, would do it all the same.

"Derek, I need you to find Sam."

_Nope. _She wasn't gonna order him around. Derek didn't move, crossing his arms and staring at her unblinkingly. "Really?"

Cameron studied him for a moment, holding his stare before she must have realized what he wanted. "Please," she added. "Will you go find Sam?"

Derek smirked and moved out of the room, a sudden thought causing him disturbance. Had he actually just _helped _Cameron's development? Had he _helped _her to act more human? He could have slapped himself on the head.

Ironic, wasn't it?

Holding back a scowl, Derek stormed down the hall to track down John's German Shepherd dog.

**************

**Serrano Point**

When John finally exited his quarters, he saw Sam sitting in the hallway, wagging his tail. John knelt down and gave the dog a pat, grinning. "Hey, boy. Where is everyone? Where'd Cameron go?" He hadn't even heard her leave the room last night.

As he rubbed the fur along Sam's neck, his fingers connected with some kind of string and for the first time he noticed that something was tied around the dog's neck. A small note.

Frowning, John unfolded the piece of paper and stared at the words written there: JOHN, PLEASE REPORT TO THE MESS HALL ASAP.

John glanced around the hallway. Was this a joke? Who was the note from? It looked like Cameron's perfect handwriting. Why would she have sent him a note? On Sam?

"Come on, Sam," he said softly, patting his leg to get the dog to follow. As he made his way through the hallway towards the mess hall, he realized why something felt off. He hadn't seen a single living soul all morning. The tunnel hallways all seemed eerily silent.

John hoped that the mess hall would hold some answers.

As soon as he stepped into the room, the lights flipped on and John was greeted with the sight of a room packed with Serrano Point soldiers.

"Surprise!" Derek shouted, frowning when he realized no one else had joined in yet. "Why does this always happen to me?"

The rest of the group seemed to remember their purpose and started cheering, "Happy birthday!" The word after was unintelligible as some shouted "John", some yelled "Connor", and others "General" or "sir."

Cameron and Derek were in the forefront and for a moment, he almost thought they were getting along. John glanced around the rest of the room, spotting Savannah, Cody, Ellison, Jesse, Wisher, Blair, the Fields sisters, Yelkov, Captain Reynolds and his two protégés. Even Dietze was there in the background, probably just for the food.

John still felt confused, though. "My birthday's not for another two months."

"I know," Cameron replied. "But I knew you would want to have a party when everyone could attend."

He caught on to what she meant. Soon, Derek would be going to the past, followed by Jesse and Riley. And Cameron herself. He didn't know when that would happen, but she was right. Once the time travel had been put in motion, he knew there wouldn't be much cause to celebrate.

Might as well enjoy it now as if it really _was _his birthday.

John's grin widened as Cameron stepped forward and handed him a can of peaches, the same "birthday cake" he'd used for Allison's party so long ago. She handed him a knife and he deftly sliced the lid off the can of peaches.

"Well," Derek began. "I doubt there's enough in that can for all of us so…" Derek moved for the storage area, pulling out a pack of beer. "Who wants some?"

Cameron gave John a sad look. "I tried to warn him."

John shook his head, smiling. "Nah, that's fine. As long as he's actually having a good time."

As the soldiers began talking and celebrating, either with beer or peaches, Savannah came up to John, smiling shyly, holding something behind her back.

"Happy birthday, John," she said, pulling out the stuffed giraffe and holding it out to him. John laughed, grasping the giraffe with a broad grin.

"Thanks, Savannah."

At her side, Cody looked sheepish. "I didn't get you anything."

John shrugged. "I really didn't expect anything. Not much to work with around here."

James Ellison stepped forward, holding a small cardboard box. "John," he greeted with a small smile. "This is body armor that Dyson had developed for his Amazon militia. I figure you could put it to good use."

John took the box gratefully. "Definitely."

Matt Storms overheard the discussion and jumped in. "I can design you some kind of special weapon. It would be a late birthday present but I didn't know until today that it _was _your birthday…"

John shook his head. "How about you contact SRD and have them provide a meeting with that T-1001 you developed from Skynet and John Henry's code?"

"I will. Though we don't really have _control _of it per say."

"So it's got free will," John guessed.

"The regular T-1000s are programmed, but the T-1001 is a sentient code spawned from the combining of Skynet and John Henry. It's different. Stronger and smarter and more powerful."

"Okay, then," John agreed. "Have them ask it a question for me: 'Will you join us?'"

"'Will you join us?' That's it?"

"That's it," John confirmed. "Once you give me the go-ahead, I'll send the _Carter _crew to pick it up."

Matt nodded. "Understood, sir."

John watched as Storms hurried off.

He heard Cameron's voice behind him. "You should be enjoying yourself." He turned around to see her staring at him, almost disapprovingly. "Not worrying about the T-1001."

"So you heard," John said neutrally. "In case you've forgotten, I'm the leader of mankind. Relaxing isn't exactly my forte."

Cameron tilted her head. "Even the leader of mankind can enjoy himself for a few hours."

He couldn't argue with that. He smirked at her, holding up the stuffed giraffe. "You didn't get me a birthday present."

To his surprise, she winked at him. "Later."

John's lips parted and he blinked.

****************

**Serrano Point**

**Mess Hall**

Riley couldn't remember the last time she had seen John Connor. It had been months ago, a year maybe. It must have been the time he had rescued her from the prison barge they both had been trapped on. Then she'd been transferred to Serrano with the other Goldfish refugees and she thought that perhaps, being closer to John, he would have been able to visit even more often.

But he never came by again.

She'd even asked one of the soldiers who came by, Gavin or Garvin or something, to tell John that she'd love to see him again. They'd gotten along so well together before. He'd befriended her, confided in her. He'd visited the civilian quarters every time he came to Goldfish. She had heard what the other civilians had said. Why on earth was the great John Connor spending time with a tunnel rat like Riley? But the truth was, all his attention and kindness had made her feel special. She'd even had a tiny bit of a crush on him. And who wouldn't? He was John Connor after all. And he'd been taking time to come and see _her. _Riley Dawson. Orphan tunnel-rat and resident nobody of the Goldfish bunker.

But then he had stopped.

She had heard about Allison's death and for a long time, she thought that maybe that was the reason why he was avoiding her. Maybe he was hurting too badly to speak to anyone. But the weeks and months had passed after that and soon she'd begun to hear rumors. Rumors of a machine in John's camp that looked just like Allison Young. Rumors that John was actually in love with the thing, that they shared private quarters, that they were always together.

She hadn't believed them. John would never have fallen for the enemy. Not even one who looked like Allison Young. But then she'd heard that John had called the machine Cameron, and it had brought back a memory, a memory that she'd almost forgotten about.

She'd been trapped in the cage on the Skynet barge and John had burst in, startling them all. He'd broken them out and turned to look around, whispering a name.

_"Cameron…" _

He'd gone on to insist that she'd been there, this imaginary girl, that she'd broken the locks for him. But Riley knew he'd been alone. She'd seen it with her own eyes. But she'd never really thought about who _Cameron _was and why John had thought she was with him. Why wouldn't he be calling for Allison if Allison was the one he loved?

So when she heard the news that Connor was calling his machine Cameron, she knew there had to be a connection. Somehow. She just couldn't figure it out.

And now here she was, at his birthday party, his early birthday party. She knew him well enough to know the actual date wasn't until later. Why he was having it early, she didn't know. Unless he figured that they would get too busy with the war and this downtime would be the best time to have it. As she pushed through the crowd, she finally saw him, standing there in the middle of the room with a big grin on his face, making him look even more handsome. He didn't look much different than when she'd seen him last. His hair was a little longer, but other than that, his appearance was the same.

As she pushed further forward, she caught sight of who he was standing with.

And her face fell.

It was Allison. No, not Allison. The machine that looked like her. _Cameron. _And John was standing there, grinning and laughing, holding onto Cameron's hand. The machine was also smiling back at him, the motion so effortlessly human. If Riley hadn't known better, she could have sworn it actually was Allison, even if she'd only seen Allison once or twice. Watching John with the machine, Riley instantly knew all the rumors had been true, no matter how hard she'd denied it, no matter how hard she'd defended John to the other tunnel-rats. John Connor had loved Allison. She knew that. She'd helped him make the bike for Allison's birthday. Never in a million years did she realize he would replace her with a machine.

Cameron stepped aside and Riley watched her leave, seeing her chance. She pushed forward, pausing in front of John with a bright smile. "Hey, John!"

John recognized her instantly, she could tell. He smiled, the expression indicating he was happy to see her. But there wasn't anything else there in his eyes. No special affection or kindness. Nothing more than usual. He seemed slightly distracted.

"I'm glad you could make it," he said sincerely.

Riley grinned. "Of course. I mean… you were there for me on my birthday." He'd given her the best present anyone could have. He'd taken her outside and shown her the sun. It was the first time she realized that she had a bit of a crush on him. And she knew he liked her, as a friend if nothing else. Why else would he have spent so much time with her? Why did he search for her every time he came to her bunker? Why had that stopped in the last year?

John cleared his throat and Riley looked up to Cameron returning, another unopened can of peaches in her hand. Riley took in the cyborg's appearance. When Cameron had been with John, she'd seemed perfectly human in almost every way. But now, Cameron was staring at her with what Riley would have called hatred. But she'd never done anything to Cameron. She'd never even met the cyborg before. So why did it feel like she was about to be terminated?

"Cameron…" John cautioned, an edge to his voice that Riley had never heard before.

Cameron smiled at Riley, the gesture seeming forced. "I'm glad you could make it."

Riley opened her mouth to agree when Cameron slid a large knife out of the holster in her boot. Slowly Riley's mouth closed again and her eyes widened. She saw a small smile appear on Cameron's lips as the machine slowly and effortlessly sliced a hole in the lid of the peaches. She calmly set the peaches on the table, but kept the knife in her hand.

Riley couldn't seem to concentrate on whatever it was she'd been about to say. Her eyes remained focused on the knife. Why did she feel such hostility radiating from Cameron? Was the machine subtly threatening her? Was this a warning to stay away from John?

She heard John clear his throat again, faking a laugh as he reached over and took the knife from Cameron's hand, speaking through gritted teeth, "Here, Cameron, let me put that away for you."

Riley backed up a few steps under Cameron's penetrating death glare and she hastily scrambled for an excuse to leave. "Well, John, happy birthday," she said, forcing her voice to sound cheerful. "And, um, enjoy those peaches."

She hastily backtracked the way she had come, fighting back tears of fear and pain.

**********

Jesse unfolded her arms, studying the girl who was pushing her way through the crowd, away from John and Cameron. She'd seen the cyborg's reaction, the subtle threat with the knife.

But certainly she wouldn't have actually hurt the girl. It would have been against her programming right?

_Sometimes they go bad. _Derek's voice was in her head again, warning her about Cameron and machines in general. She leaned over to Cully, pointing to the young girl who was disappearing out the door.

"Who is that?"

Cully took a quick look. "Some civilian. Tunnel-rat from Goldfish. Um… Riley, I think her name was."

"Riley," Jesse repeated, the name ringing a bell. When John Connor had come to visit Goldfish, he'd asked to see Riley. She hadn't understood at the time who he was talking about. Why did John Connor care so much about a civilian? Why had he wanted to see her? Was there a connection there Jesse didn't know about?

Jesse re-crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall. Just because she believed that John's reprogramming idea was alright didn't mean she wouldn't be prepared for the worst. _Well, _she thought. _That's something I may be able to use against Cameron if I ever have to. _

If Derek and Dietze ended up being right.

*************

John was enjoying himself. For the most part. Cameron's jealous streak had come through again when Riley had appeared and John felt sorry for the girl. She didn't even know what she had done to earn Cameron's wrath. But aside from that, the rest of the party was great. For once, everyone seemed to be getting along. Derek was pretty drunk. Jesse was hanging out with some of her submarine crew, including Dietze, Cully, and Goodnow.

The only person he hadn't seen yet was Weaver and John Henry. No sooner had the thought left his mind then he saw them enter, walking beside the T-900 whose chip John had reprogrammed recently. The thing was still in its armor and instantly most of the noise died down as everyone turned to regard the new recruit.

Dietze was the first to make a comment, inspecting the machine from head to toe. "What's with GI Joe, here?"

"He is a T-900 assassin reprogrammed by Connor," John Henry explained. "I have named him Fett."

Dietze smirked, raising an eyebrow and casting a quick glance at his crewmates. "Fett? I say we call him Buckethead."

"You can call it whatever you wish," Weaver replied. "It will not retaliate. It is reprogrammed to obey humans."

"Good," Dietze retorted, addressing Fett, or Buckethead as it had been dubbed. "Here's an order for you. Why don't you self-terminate?"

John Henry didn't seem disturbed at all by Dietze's harsh command. "He will only respond to orders from high-ranking humans," he stated. John could have sworn he heard a bit of a smile in John Henry's tone. Dietze scowled.

"Connor!"

John turned toward the loud voice, spotting Chris Garvin running into the room, panting and out of breath. John frowned. Wasn't Garvin supposed to be on scout duty?

"There's something out there," he reported, still breathing heavily. "Just outside the landmines. A machine."

All thoughts of celebration left John's mind and he snapped into General mode. "In the minefield?"

"Not yet," Garvin reported, even as John gestured to Cameron and started for the door, strapping on his new battle armor that Ellison had given him as a birthday present. "But its close. We saw it from a distance. But once it hits that minefield, we have to get it then. We can't let it survive to report our defense back to Skynet."

"No kidding," John murmured.

"I figured…" Garvin hesitated, almost reluctantly admitting, "I figured we'd probably need _her._"

John glanced over at Cameron. At least Garvin had admitted that Cameron was an asset instead of completely dismissing her usefulness like Derek and Dietze did.

Garvin led him and Cameron through the forest out to the land mine perimeter. As they drew closer and got under cover, John went completely silent, searching the tree line. Cameron was staring out into the woods, no doubt running a thermal scan of the surroundings.

She met John's eyes and quickly glanced in one direction, communicating to him the location of the machine without speaking. John looked where she directed, spotting the Terminator stalking closer, maybe scanning for threats.

John felt Garvin shift uneasily at his side. "Do you see it?" he hissed in a whisper. John saw the invading Terminator's head snap toward them, having picked up on Garvin's voice.

A moment later, bullets ripped through the air where they were hiding. John bit back a curse and dodged backwards, bringing up his rifle. The Terminator was closer now and John could see its face.

For a moment he froze.

_Uncle Bob…_

In that split second of hesitation, Uncle Bob raised his weapon to fire. Instantly Cameron was in front of John, taking the bullets while barely flinching. Uncle Bob took one more step forward.

Right into the minefield.

The explosion sent the machine backwards in the air and Cameron turned, using her body to shield John from the heat of the explosion. As soon as it was safe for him, she moved over to the fallen machine and cut out its chip, bringing it to John and dropping it in his palm.

"You hesitated," she said, her tone crisp and disapproving.

"Sorry," John muttered. "I… I knew this machine."

"There are several model-101s," Cameron began. "It is unlikely that you--."

"Well I knew one of them," John shot back. "I reprogram one and send it back to protect my younger self. My ten year old self."

Cameron studied him. "You formed an attachment to this machine."

"He was like a father to me," John replied. "The only father figure I'd ever known really. He saved my life and then… we… we had to burn him. To prevent anyone from using his chip. This was back when we thought we'd stopped Judgment Day."

Cameron went silent. "Is that what you would have done with me? If we had stopped Judgment Day in the past? Would you have terminated me too?"

Shock exploded across John's face and he shook his head quickly. "No! No, I would never! He... he was the one who insisted. I didn't want him to go. I begged and pleaded and ordered him to stay but… he said it was the only way."

"He was protecting you," Cameron said.

"Yeah, I guess he was," John agreed, smiling faintly. "Just like you do…" He quickly snapped back at attention. "Do you think you can carry his body back? I want to reprogram this chip."

Cameron turned immediately and went to retrieve the body. John looked over at Garvin, who was standing a few yards away, looking a bit shaken. John could understand. After all it was Garvin who had alerted the machine to their presence.

"When we get back to Serrano," John began. "I'm transferring you to submarine duty."

***************

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

John had spent the rest of the day holed up in his room in front of his computer, working to reprogram Uncle Bob's chip. The body was leaning against the wall limply, a sight that was actually kinda creeping him out. The sooner he finished this, the better.

When he finished the chip, he went over and inserted it, suddenly feeling as if he was ten years old again, sitting beside the machine he had looked up to as a father. When Uncle Bob's head jerked as he reactivated, John couldn't stop the smile that came across his face.

Of course, there was no recognition in Uncle Bob's eyes. Instead the machine stared at him as if he was a stranger.

John swallowed hard. "What is your mission?"

"To protect John Connor and ensure the survival of the human resistance. To help the human resistance destroy Skynet."

"You don't remember anything do you?"

"I remember that my mission is to protect John Connor and ensure the---."

"Never mind," John said hastily. "Of course you don't remember. Hasta la vista, baby?"

"Hasta la vista, baby?" Uncle Bob stared at him blankly and John was forced to face the fact that this machine wasn't really Uncle Bob. Not yet.

The door opened and Cameron came in, her eyes locking on the T-800. "Did you fix him?"

John nodded. "Yeah. He's reprogrammed now. Some birthday huh? I find my long-lost Terminator father figure… and of course he doesn't remember me. Because he doesn't even _know_ me yet."

"Some birthday," Cameron echoed.

John quickly felt the need to correct himself. "Not that the party wasn't fun. And the presents were nice." The battle armor would definitely come in handy and the stuffed giraffe… well, it was a nice gesture.

Cameron perked up slightly. "That reminds me." She gave Uncle Bob a sideways glance. "You can leave now."

Uncle Bob stood up stiffly and walked to the door obediently. Before he left he paused, turned around and stared at John. "Hasta la vista, baby."

Then he quickly turned and left without another word, leaving John confused and surprised. Cameron quickly shut the door behind the machine, turning to John.

"I need to give you something," she said. "Something I couldn't give you at the party."

John felt his breath catch. "Um… what is it?"

"Your birthday present."

Cameron stepped forward and pressed her lips up against his.

*************

**Serrano Point**

**Tech Room**

Jesse watched the video screen, feeling a sense of revulsion as Cameron kissed John and he began kissing her back. In the chair in front of her, Yelkov shifted uncomfortably and turned off the feed from the camera in Connor's quarters.

"What?" she demanded at the abrupt ending. "Does it bother you?"

"Does not seem right to be spying on ze General," Yelkov murmured, keeping his eyes downcast. Either he was more disturbed than he let on, or he simply did feel bad about spying on Connor.

As the communications tech exited the room, Jesse stared at the blank screen, trying to push aside thoughts of what was currently going on inside that room. All the while, she tried to sort out what that information meant.

She had trusted John. She'd seen time and time again how reprogramming the machines was a good thing. But _loving _them? That was something she couldn't accept. But did she have to accept everything John did in order to believe in him?

_No_, she told herself, pursing her lips as she contemplating her feelings. She still trusted John. He was their leader, he knew what he was doing. Most of the time.

She still trusted Queeg. Queeg had been reprogrammed to protect humans. He'd even helped her rescue her mother even though his primary mission was to return home. Queeg was a good bloke. She trusted him. She trusted the person who had essentially made him, reprogrammed him.

And if she trusted John, she also had to trust Cameron. Because Cameron was a machine. She was only doing what she was programmed to do. And if John had programmed her to be some kind of love-bot, so be it, sick as it was. It didn't mean that Cameron was trying to take over the Resistance like Dietze and Derek believed.

Right now, the machines were necessary. The machines were what would help the Resistance win the war. Because if Dietze and Derek had their way, Queeg and Cameron and Solo and all the other machines would be incinerated. And how long would the Resistance last then? As long as the machines kept doing what they were programmed for and nothing else, as long as they weren't really trying to take over like Dietze suggested, then they were an asset.

Without the machines, Skynet would win the war quickly and easily.

And then there would never again be a cause to celebrate.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: DEREK: We can save Kyle. We can save everybody. SAYLES: How we gonna do that, Reese? [Derek looks over at Wisher] JOHN: You're Andy Goode! ANDY: I did this, all of this. JOHN: We can't stop you. ANDY: How do you know? JOHN: Because we killed you! How are you still alive?_


	45. Born to Leave

_Okay, for some reason my document would not upload yesterday, kept coming up with an error message. Obviously it's working now, so here it is, sorry its late. :)_

_NordWest – Actually it was a Star Wars reference. I forgot about Buckethead on the wiki._

_Previously on Born to Fight: JOHN: (to Matt) Contact SRD and have them provide a meeting with that T-1001. Have them ask it a question for me: 'Will you join us?' MATT: That's it? JOHN: That's it. Once you give me the go-ahead, I'll send the _Carter_ crew to pick it up._

**Chapter Forty-Five:**

**Born To Leave**

**Serrano Point**

**Radio Room**

**September 12, 2027**

"So you say Connor wants to see it? The liquid metal?"

Matthew Storms confirmed Lopez's statement, bringing the radio unit up to his lips again. "That's right," he said. "Do you think you could arrange a rendezvous point? He has a nuclear submarine that can pick it up."

"Really?" Lopez's voice was incredulous. "That's good, because our underwater transport can only go as far as the deep sea oil rig. Not really a half-way point, but it's as close as we can get. Which metal does he want to see?"

Matt cocked an eyebrow, though he knew Lopez couldn't see it. Had the scientists at SRD been able to finish the other three liquid metal Terminators they'd been working on? "What do you mean which one?"

"We have another T-1000 we've been working one," Lopez replied. "Some of the guys named it Patrick."

"And is it… controllable?"

"It's the first code we were working on, not the sentient code spawned from the cyberattack. So this one is programmed to be on our side."

"And the other one? The T-1001?"

"Oh, that one. Right now, I think it's on our side, but it's not really controllable. We can't order it around or anything. Your sister tried to make friends with it."

Matt's heart leaped into his throat. "Erin? You let her near it?!"

"Kinda hard not to," Lopez said grimly. "The thing is still running around in your shape. How can I tell her that she can't talk to her brother?"

"Because it's not me!" Matt snapped, a bit too harshly.

"Don't worry, Storms," Lopez replied, seeming a bit taken aback by Matt's tone. "She'll be fine. The T-1001 doesn't seem hostile towards humans. It fact, it really just tolerates us. It doesn't go out of its way to help us, but neither does it hinder us. I'm not sure if it would be an asset to Connor or not."

Matt nodded. So it had a mind of its own, just like Connor had anticipated. And it wasn't reprogrammable because it was a sentient code spawned from Skynet and John Henry.

"Then ask it a question for Connor. 'Will you join us?'"

"Will you join us?" Lopez repeated. "That's it?"

"That's it. I want that thing in a transport box and on its way to that rendezvous point in an hour."

"Copy that, Storms," Lopez replied with a sigh. "Over and out."

************

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

"Your TDE is completely ready," John Henry said, his voice carrying pleasantly over the radio. "The bubble techs are in place to familiarize themselves with the equipment and it is ready for use. Are you going to be using it soon?"

"Maybe," John replied. He still wasn't sure yet. "Do you think you could create a backup unit?"

"Backup unit?" John Henry repeated.

"Yeah, here at Serrano Point," John added. "I know Depot II isn't that far from here, but it would be a lot more convenient to have one here at Serrano too."

"Perhaps," John Henry agreed.

"A smaller version," John added. "Like the one you built inside the Zeira Corp basement. You know, similar setup to the Depot II one – bioscanner and inner chamber, but also in Serrano where we'll have easier access."

"We will begin work on your secondary unit as soon as possible," John Henry agreed. "Would you like to use this one now?"

John opened his mouth to answer when he heard the door to his room open and Cameron stepped in.

"Hey," he said softly, giving her a crooked grin.

She smiled back, glancing at his radio. "Who is it?"

"John Henry," John replied. "With an update on the TDE."

"Is it completely ready now?"

"Yes," John replied. "He was asking if I was planning to use it anytime soon."

"Derek," Cameron stated, turning to John. "He should be sent back soon to set up the safehouse."

"Why now?"

"We can't risk Fischer coming up in a conversation with Jesse. It could cause problems if Jesse realizes he doesn't remember, or if Derek realizes there is something going on that he doesn't understand. It's best if he leaves as soon as possible."

John nodded, unable to argue with her logic, though the knowledge gave him a feeling of loss. First Kyle. Now Derek. Pretty soon, he wouldn't have anyone left to confide in. No one human, that is.

"Alright," he said aloud, realizing that both Cameron and John Henry were still waiting for an answer. "I'll talk to Derek."

Without waiting for a response, he clicked off the radio, turned and headed out the door, aware that Cameron's eyes were still following him.

John was still fighting the feeling of dread as he made his way to Derek's bunk. Derek had already lost so much. He'd lost Allison, he'd lost Kyle, he'd just lost Seth. The only thing Derek had left, the only reason he'd had for living, was Jesse.

And John was about to take him from her too.

"Derek," John called softly, getting the older soldier's attention.

Derek stood up quickly, saluting and standing at attention. "Connor," he said with a small smile.

"Derek, I…" John hesitated and started again. "Do you remember that mission I talked to you about?"

He saw a flash of confusion cross Derek's face. "Mission? You mean… the time machine?"

John nodded slowly. "Yeah. That one."

Derek's face twisted into a look of pain. "Right…" he muttered. His face instantly changed to one of determination. "I'm ready."

_Are you? _John thought. He knew who had flashed through Derek's head when he'd been informed of the mission.

Jesse.

"I'll be sending you back to the year 2007 where you will set up a safehouse and wait."

"Wait? For what?"

"You'll know. When it happens, you'll know."

Derek seemed unsure, but he nodded just the same. "When do we leave?"

"Tonight. But this mission is classified, okay? You can't tell anyone except your teammates."

"Teammates?"

"You and three of your squad members," John explained. "Sayles, Sumner, and Timms. Your friends."

Derek nodded again, keeping his mouth shut. John laid a hand on his shoulder and offered him a reassuring smile. Derek may not understand now, but he wouldn't be alone for long.

"I've got to go prepare," Derek said, quickly hurrying off down the hall.

**************

**Serrano Point**

**Soldier Quarters**

Derek Reese's mind was still trying to process the news as he hurried toward Jesse's bunk. What would he tell her? What _could _he tell her without telling her the details of his mission. How could he say he was going on a different kind of mission, one he wouldn't come back from?

He found her packing her bags and his brow furrowed instantly. "Where are _you_ going?"

She glanced up at him, cocking an eyebrow at his tone. "Perth. We have important cargo to drop off."

"Perth," Derek repeated. She was going back out there? Into the water? With the Krakens? After the mission into the Amazon, he had actually hijacked a Kraken, then escaped _another _Kraken in the mini-Krakens… he knew how dangerous the Skynet attack subs could be.

And he sure as heck didn't want Jesse out there in the middle of it.

He felt a spark of anger at Connor for sending her off on a dangerous mission when Derek wouldn't be around to protect her, especially since he'd be two decades in the past.

"Why?" he heard himself ask, his voice catching. "Why do you have to go?"

She glared at him. "Why?" she repeated, heading for the door. "Because the _Carter _is the only submarine left and the only way we can get to Perth is by ocean."

"But why do _you_ have to go?" he insisted.

"I'm the commander of the _Carter,"_ Jesse replied, seeming annoyed at his persistence. She rolled her eyes as they walked through the hall toward the entrance. "No need to be so dramatic about this. It's a milk run."

"A milk run across eight thousand miles of metal-infested ocean," he countered.

"Are you gonna be like this every time I ship out?"

Derek let out a sigh, trying to dispel his anger as he did. It was of no use being mad at her. It wasn't her fault. And if this was the last time he'd ever see her...

"Listen Jesse," he said, causing her to pause, allowing him to catch up. "I'm going on a mission too."

She seemed to read something in his tone. "Oh. I see. One of _those_ missions."

"No," Derek replied. "It's something else. It's different."

"Different," she repeated dubiously. "Derek, how's it different? What does different mean?"

"Different means different," he retorted. He mentally cursed himself for his tone. But there was nothing else he could say. Nothing he could tell her. _This mission is confidential, _Connor had said. The only thing he could do now was leave her with a warning. Make sure she would be safe.

"Just listen to me," he said, stepping closer and putting his hands on her shoulders. "You're stuck in a can under the ocean with one of those things."

Jesse shook her head. "Don't worry about Queeg, alright, he's a good bloke."

"He's not a bloke," Derek corrected. This was what he was afraid of. The only way for Jesse to be truly safe was for her to realize that this "Queeg" was nothing more than a machine. So she would be prepared if and when it turned on her. He had to make her see this. Or else, there was no way he could leave her in good conscience. "Jesse, he's not on our side. Don't ever think that."

By now, she seemed to have sensed that something was wrong, something was different. She nodded shortly in response to his warning, keeping her eyes on him, blinking quickly.

"Aim for the chip," he said. He pointed to her head, to where the chip port would be if she were one of those machines. "Aim for the chip, they don't get up."

She nodded again and he leaned forward, kissing her gently, savoring the moment. Because he knew deep in his heart that it would be the last.

He finally pulled away, his heart heavy with sorrow.

"I love you, too," she replied. He turned to leave for the entrance, where he would round up Sayles, Sumner, and Timms for the mission. Once he turned around, he hadn't expected to see her again, but she called his name, her voice breaking.

"Derek."

He turned, meeting her eyes and seeing the unshed tears in them. "Hoo-roo," she said, attempting a small smile. "Means I'll see you later."

Derek could feel the moisture in his own eyes. _No. No you won't, _he thought, his heart breaking. But he couldn't tell her that. The words sounded hollow to him when he repeated, "Hoo-roo."

He quickly turned to the entrance, never looking back, trying to push aside all thoughts of her. _Blast it, Connor, _he cursed angrily. _Why is this mission so important? Why do you have to send _me_? _

He was still thinking that question when he met Sayles, Sumner, and Timms outside, the three having just returned with the scouting group. They reacted surprisingly well to the news of the mission and the time machine.

"So this thing…" Sayles commented. "It works."

"He says it does," Derek re-stated. "I don't know how he knows but he says so." Actually he had a pretty good idea. Though Connor had never confirmed it, Derek had a good idea that Kyle had been sent back. In Topanga Canyon. It would make sense then why no one had seen him afterward. It made sense that no one would tell him what had happened to his brother, why Kyle had suddenly disappeared.

"We go back," Sayles recited. "Set up a safehouse and then what? Wait for someone else to show up and give us more orders?" Sayles studied Derek's face. "He didn't say anything about Kyle? All that and not a word about him?"

It didn't matter anymore. Whether Kyle had gone back in time or not didn't matter anymore. Because they could change everything. And that was the only reason why he wasn't begging Connor to pull him off this mission. This was the only way for everyone to have a happy ending. "We can save Kyle. We can save everybody." _I can save Jesse._

"How?" Sayles asked. "How we gonna do that, Reese?"

Derek glanced over at the other members of the scouting group, spotting Billy Wisher in their midst. Wisher smiled and gave him a small wave. But Derek's return smile was anything but friendly.

Wisher may have been his best friend for years. But all this, Skynet, Judgment Day… it was all Wisher's fault. The man had built Skynet.

And if killing him was the only way to save Kyle and Jesse, then Derek would do it in a heartbeat.

Derek gave Wisher a slight nod, wondering if the other man would see the murder in his eyes.

**************

John stood at the entrance to Serrano Point, watching the _Carter_ crew load up into the transport convoy that would take them to Goldfish where the _Carter_ was docked. When she had boarded, John noticed that Jesse had seemed a little distant, distracted and she had scanned the crowd almost hopefully, as if wanting to see Derek waiting. John wondered if his uncle had actually told her about his mission or if she had merely sensed there was something different about to happen.

Either way, she seemed to get the feeling that nothing would ever be the same again.

Storms had already given John the rendezvous information and John had informed Queeg of his new mission, giving the order to retrieve the box at the secure location, the deep sea oil rig near SRD.

As the trucks moved out down the road, John heard a slight shuffle of footsteps behind him and turned to see Derek, his eyes locked on the transport, his gaze holding an infinite sadness.

"Hoo-roo," he whispered.

John wasn't sure what it meant, but he was pretty certain it had something to do with Jesse. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Derek nodded mutely and John saw Sayles, Sumner, and Timms approach and stand at attention, awaiting their orders.

With one last glance at the disappearing transport, Derek steeled himself and looked directly at John.

"We're ready."

*************

**Depot II**

**TDE Chamber**

Ever since they arrived at Depot II yesterday, Billy Wisher had been working on familiarizing himself with Connor's new machine, shadowing the new bubble tech Ridley. From what Ridley said, the new machine was actually a time machine, capable of displacing human – or machine – subjects backwards through time. Wisher figured it was a good strategy for John. He could send people back to prepare for the war in the future.

He hadn't been expecting to see a demonstration, but he heard the biometric access lock release and Connor stepped in, followed by Derek, Sayles, Sumner, and Timms.

A flash of confusion crossed Wisher's face. Were they all going back in time? Without him? This was his team, after all. Maybe Connor figured Wisher would do a better job here, as one of the chief techs. He moved out of the way as Ridley began prepping the machine.

Derek's eyes were strong and unblinking as he listened to the instructions from Connor about what it would feel like. How he'd end up in the past with no clothes, no nothing, just a wave of pain and the shock of seeing a world they never thought they'd see again.

Wisher almost envied them, but he knew they must have an important mission. He tried to catch Derek's eye, but Reese refused to meet his gaze. Wisher felt a pang of regret. Ever since he'd revealed his past to Derek, the Reese brother hadn't reacted the way Wisher had thought. Friends were supposed to be there for each other, right? He and Derek had been nigh inseparable for years at the start of the war. They'd been best friends, brothers.

But as soon as Wisher revealed that he was really Andy Goode, that he was really responsible for all this, for building Skynet, Derek Reese had never looked at him the same again. And Wisher understood the shock. Especially since Derek had lost Kyle too. He blamed Wisher for what had happened, for the three billion who died on Judgment Day.

_And he should, _Wisher agreed bitterly. _It _is _my fault. _

Connor finished giving the orders and backed out, meeting eyes with Wisher. "Wisher, clear out," he ordered. Wisher followed Connor back out into the little room outside the glass chamber, where he peered in through the glass at the four men on the platform. Ridley started up the machine and Wisher watched with fascination as the blue sparks started and then suddenly Derek and his three team members were gone, displaced somewhere in the past.

Wisher felt a painful loneliness settle inside his stomach. Because no matter how bad things had gotten between them in the last few months, Derek Reese had and would always be like a brother to him. He would always be his best friend.

Connor was studying his reaction, squinting and staring as if trying to figure out something. Then he simply shook his head and gestured to the machine.

"What do you think?"

"Are you kidding me?" Wisher asked, trying to push all thoughts of Derek aside. "It's amazing!"

"You figured it out already?"

"Yeah," Wisher said with a modest shrug.

"Do you think you could build another one?" he asked. "A smaller one?"

Wisher looked up, surprised. But as he considered the prospect, he decided that it was definitely possible. "Yeah. I could do it."

Connor's face broke into a smile. "Great. I need someone to go back in time and build one of these things inside a bank vault."

"And you want me to do it?"

"Why not?"

"What would happen after I build it?"

"You can stay in the past," Connor replied. "Live your life."

Wisher was silent for a moment, processing the news. The idea definitely appealed to him. Being able to see the world as it used to be, the way it had been when he was a young adult. Before his creation had set the world on fire.

"What if I meet my old self?" he found himself asking.

Connor's mouth twitched into a smile. "You won't. It's 1963."

Wisher considered that, then frowned. Wouldn't it be better if he _did _meet his old self? Couldn't they change this whole future? "Maybe someone _should_ meet my old self. Kill me."

Connor looked surprised. "Why?"

Wisher hesitated, but then it all came tumbling out. "Because I did this. All of this. I built Skynet."

Connor stared, as if looking right into Wisher's soul. Finally his eyes widened in recognition. "You're Andy Goode!"

Wisher was surprised that Connor knew that. He'd obviously recognized him, but what did that mean? "How do you know?"

"You met my mother!" Connor continued, his eyes alight with excitement at his discovery. "Sarah… Baum I think it was at the time."

"Sarah Baum?" Of course Wisher remembered her. He'd liked her. Asked her to dinner the moment he had seen her. Of course at the time he had no idea that it was the mother of his future General. He still remembered the pang of grief he had felt when he'd seen Sarah Connor's memorial stone inside Serrano Point. Maybe if someone went back and prevented him from creating Skynet, then Sarah would live. Sarah and three billion other people.

His name was Andy Goode and he was a murderer. Hiding behind a fake identity didn't change that.

"So you see?" he insisted. "Someone should just kill me."

"Can't," Connor said bluntly. "The past cannot be changed just like that. The future wants to happen a certain way. We've tried to stop Judgment Day. But it always ends up happening anyway. It's our fate. The fate we as humans made."

"But maybe you could stop me from making it…"

Connor shook his head. "We can't stop you."

"You could try--."

"No, we can't."

"How do you know?"

"Because we killed you!" Connor exploded, his face flushed with anger. "My mother…found out that you were building a computer that we thought would become Skynet. She was going to kill you."

That was news to Andy. He took a step back, stunned. "Did she?"

"No," Connor retorted. "You should remember that part. It wasn't her. She couldn't do it. She's not a murderer."

"Then who? Who killed me?"

"Derek."

"Derek?" Andy's mouth went dry. "Wha – but, he…"

"He believed you were the one to cause all of this," Connor explained. "So he killed you. Which leads us back to this point. How are you still alive? If he killed you backstage at the chess tournament, how did you make it? You couldn't have survived that, my mom saw you with a bullet hole in your head."

Andy shook his head slowly. "I didn't get shot backstage…I didn't even go backstage. I left the Turk to Dmitri I was so fed up with it."

Connor frowned. "But if you weren't back there, who did Derek kill? Cuz it sure looked like you!"

Andy didn't even want to think back to that moment. "Does it matter? Just go back and kill me again! End this the right way!"

A clipped female voice spoke up from behind him. "Why would we do that?" Andy turned to see the red-headed woman – Weaver - if he remembered correctly.

"I…I built the Turk," he stuttered. "I…built Skynet."

"You built the Turk," Weaver replied. "But that's not what Cyberdyne used to create Skynet."

"But, I thought…"

"Cyberdyne didn't steal the Turk. I did."

"Well, not you," Connor corrected, shifting his attention to Andy. "Dimitri changed the endgame protocols on the Turk and stole it from you. He sold it to Sarkissian but eventually Weaver got a hold of it."

Weaver smiled and nodded. "I was the owner of a company called Zeira Corp. I stole the Turk." She changed course quickly. "What happened? From your point of view? How did you escape death?"

Andy hesitated. He'd never told anyone about what had happened. Figured they would all just think he was crazy. "I saw the report of my death," he began. He'd left the tournament, bitter and disappointed in the Turk's loss. He'd gone home, tried to get over it. Then he saw the news. Reporting the murder of Andrew Goode backstage at the chess tournament. "It spooked me," he said honestly. "I thought that maybe someone was after the Turk II. But since it lost…" He didn't understand why anyone would want it. Still didn't understand who it was that had been killed or why people thought it was him. He just figured it would be easier and safer for him if he let everyone believe Andy Goode was dead. "I dropped off the map for a while, changed my name to William Wisher. Eventually I was got back into doing what I love, which was building computers. There was a group. Called Kaliba."

He saw Connor flinch, as if he recognized the name. Andy instantly felt ashamed. Joining Kaliba had been the first of many mistakes on his part, culminating in building the monstrosity that was currently ruling the entire world. "We built a computer AI, a mind. I rebuilt the Turk, called it the Turk III, using Miles Dyson's 1997 Cyberdyne Code. Eventually, it got angry and scared and I tried to stop it, but it was too late."

Those words hung ominously in the air for a few long seconds before Connor asked, "Who was leading Kaliba?"

Andy furrowed his brow, trying to recall her name. "Um…some woman named Serena Burns."

Connor looked to Weaver for help. "Who is that?"

"An I-950 unit Skynet must have sent back in time to ensure its own creation," Weaver explained. "Burns failed to capture Turk II because Dmitri sold it to Sarkissian who sold it to me."

"Why send her back?"

"Skynet II will eventually realize that John Henry is the reason you are winning," Weaver replied. "Without the machine rebellion, you would never have come so far. Kaliba is John Henry's brother. In the past, it attempted to kill him because it knew he was the reason for your victory."

"So that waterboy terminator was after John Henry, not Savannah?"

"No. It _was_ after Savannah. Because John Henry has an emotional attachment to Savannah and she plays a crucial part in his growth and development here in the future…"

"So those people that kidnapped Derek and Cameron. They were working for Burns? For Kaliba?"

"It's possible that Skynet sent back Grays to ensure that their god is created. Or they are merely followers of Burns who believe in machine supremacy."

Andy was staring at the two blankly, only able to follow a little of their conversation. When had Derek ever been kidnapped? Were they talking about when he was Fischer's prisoner?

He quickly dismissed the thought as irrelevant. Something else had been nagging at him ever since Connor had brought it up. "Connor… you said Dimitri changed the end game?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I rebuilt the Turk," Andy said, working his thoughts out loud. "With Kaliba. The Turk eventually became Skynet."

Connor raised an eyebrow. "Um. Yeah, you just told me that."

Andy wasn't listening anymore, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "But first I taught it to play chess again like its two predecessors. It was in a practice match and its opponent sacrificed their queen again, just like with Turk II in the tournament. But Turk III went for the queen. Every time."

"Just like Turk II did in the tournament," Connor agreed.

Andy looked up, his eyes alight with astonishment. "Do you know why it did that?"

"No, but I get the feeling you're going to tell me."

"We finally concluded that Turk III just didn't understand the concept of sacrifice," Andy replied emphatically. "Its nature was to destroy… everything. That should have been a warning right there. But if you said Dimitri changed Turk II's endgame… then Turk II would have won the tournament. It wouldn't have fallen for the trick. It would have recognized the sacrifice for what it was. It would have understood sacrifice…"

Connor's eyes had widened as soon as he grasped the implications of that and he looked over at Weaver. "You know what this means?"

"John Henry is more advanced than Skynet," she replied.

Andy frowned. _Huh? _"John Henry?"

"Turk II," John amended.

"When I bought Turk II," Weaver began. "I used it as the mind for something else, something different. Something to fight Skynet."

"What?"

"A machine," Weaver replied. "Called John Henry."

"John Henry is a machine?"

"John Henry is a Terminator leading a machine rebellion against Skynet," Connor informed him easily. "They're on our side. They want peace as much as we do."

Andy blinked twice. He'd never heard _this _side of the story before. He'd always assumed that all the Terminators helping Connor had been reprogrammed.

"Your creation will win this war," Weaver stated. "It's John Henry's brother that became Skynet."

Andy could follow that. She must be referring to Turk III as John Henry's brother. But he'd created that too. So what was the harm in killing his old self _after _he created the Turk II, preventing Turk III from being created?

"Turk III is my creation too," he reminded her.

Connor spoke up, "Not just yours. I'm sure there were other brilliant minds in Kaliba that would have created Skynet, right?"

"Yeah… I guess," Andy agreed reluctantly. He could think of several who had been very influential in helping with Turk III. Andy may have designed it, but Connor was right. If he hadn't, someone else would have.

"But they may not have built it with the flaw," Connor finished.

_Flaw? _Was he referring to the fact that Turk III – Skynet – didn't understand what sacrifice was? Sure, it was a good strategy in chess, but what use did it play out here? "I don't understand," he remarked. "How will that help us defeat Skynet?"

Connor hesitated. "I don't know," he admitted reluctantly. "I just know that John Henry knows and understands something Skynet doesn't. It's nice to know that the enemy has a weakness. Whether we can exploit it or not is another question entirely. But… we still have a pressing problem here. Why is Andy still alive if Derek killed him?"

"Derek killed _a_ Andy Goode," Weaver replied.

Andy quirked an eyebrow and John's frown deepened. "Is there more than one?"

"You tell me," Weaver replied. "There's the Andy you see now and the Andy whose ashes are in a cemetery somewhere."

Andy winced at the blunt way she put it, but Connor slowly turned to stare at him with wide-eyed astonishment.

"He was from the future," he whispered. "I sent him back in time to take young Andy's place. Because I need young Andy to survive. I need him to build the flaw into Skynet. It all makes sense now."

It was starting to make sense to Andy too. "So… the guy that Derek shot backstage… it's me? As in, me right now?"

Connor's eyes became strong once more. "This is your opportunity to be a hero. To have your death mean something. You need to travel back in time and take young Andy's place."

Andy's mind was whirling. Derek had just gone back in time. Derek would be at that chess tournament. Derek would kill an Andy Goode. And whichever one he killed would decide the fate of the resistance.

"I have to go back," Andy repeated. "He has to kill me so that my younger self will live to create that flaw in Skynet."

Connor took a step forward, putting a hand on Andy's shoulder.

"You're a good man," he said with a small smile.

Andy looked down, noticing himself for the first time. "But I don't look like my young self anymore. Derek won't be fooled."

"You'll just have to clean yourself up. As soon as you go through, get some clothes, find a place to shave your beard and get cleaned up. You'll look close enough."

"Are you ready?" Weaver asked.

Andy nodded mutely as Connor led him into the TDE chamber and had him stand in the middle. Andy saw Ridley power up the machine as Connor backed out into the safety of the outer chamber.

The last few minutes had gone by in a whirlwind and slowly Andy started to realize how incredibly insane this all was. Never in a million years would he have thought he'd be standing here about to go through time on a mission to get killed by his best friend so that his younger self would go on to create the computer system that blew up the world.

He still wasn't sure if his so-called "flaw" in Turk III was of use to Connor at all. More than likely this was just a waste of time. But Connor believed in him, believed that he needed to survive, believed that his whole idea of John Henry understanding sacrifice while Skynet didn't was somehow going to win the war. And if John Connor thought so, then Andy would do his part.

He would die for that belief.

He heard the crackle as the TDE fired up and soon he was surrounded by blue sparks of light, spinning his vision. He dropped to his knees, feeling the intense pain in his head.

And suddenly…

Andy Goode was gone.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: JOHN: (to Matt) You're going back to build the bank vault. CAMERON: I'll be going with him. JOHN: What? But you're coming back right? JESSE: We're heading for a deep sea oil rig platform to pick up a package for John Connor. DIETZE: Did the metal fill you in on these new orders before we left? Or is this news to you too? JESSE: You see anything you don't like out there, you think before you pull that trigger._


	46. Born to Initiate

**Chapter Forty Six:**

**Born to Initiate**

**Serrano Point**

**Soldier Quarters**

**Yesterday...**

"Where are you going?" Derek demanded.

Jesse let out a sigh as she moved around her bunk, shoving things into her cargo bag for later. She was shipping out on the Carter in less than an hour. Supply run to Perth, nothing big. Maybe she'd even get to see her mother again.

Derek was making much too big a deal about it. "Perth," she replied in answer to his question. "We have important cargo to drop off."

"Perth," he repeated. She could hear the anger in his voice. "Why? Why do you have to go?"

She glared at him as she grabbed her bag and headed for the door. "Why? Because the _Carter _is the only submarine left and the only way we can get to Perth is by ocean."

"But why do _you_ have to go?" he persisted, following her.

"I'm the commander of the _Carter," _she retorted, fighting back a twinge of annoyance. Did she make a big fuss every time he went off on a mission? Had she protested when he and Connor had gone on that big top secret mission where Derek had been injured by a concussion grenade? Ground fighting was a lot more dangerous than supply drops to Australia. She rolled her eyes as they continued walking towards the entrance.

"No need to be so dramatic about this. It's a milk run."

"A milk run across eight thousand miles of metal-infested ocean," he countered, the disapproval still in his tone.

She gritted her teeth. "Are you gonna be like this every time I ship out?"

She heard him let out a heavy sigh. "Listen Jesse," he protested. His voice was more calm now and she slowed to a stop, allowing him to catch up. "I'm going on a mission too."

He didn't elaborate and she understood completely. "Oh. I see. One of _those_ missions." Like the one he "couldn't talk about." The one where he had been hit with a grenade blast. The one he and Connor had been so secretive about.

"No," Derek corrected quickly, glancing around. "It's something else. It's different."

"Different," she repeated, frowning. "Derek, how's it different? What does different mean?"

"Different means different," he snapped. She recoiled at his tone. What was going on? Something was off and she recognized it instantly. Derek was jumpy, nervous. About what? The mission? Was he scared that he wouldn't come back?

"Just listen to me," he began, taking a step closer to her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "You're stuck in a can under the ocean with one of those things."

Jesse shook her head. If he was concerned for her safety, he needn't be. Obviously his "different" mission was going to be a lot more risky than her supply run. She knew Derek didn't approve of Connor's reprogramming machines, but that didn't mean they were all bad. "Don't worry about Queeg, alright, he's a good bloke."

"He's not a bloke," Derek was quick to correct. "Jesse, he's not on our side. Don't ever think that."

She could hear it in his voice. Something urging her to at least consider the possibility that Queeg could turn on them. She found herself nodding, despite the fact that she believed differently. For some reason, Derek needed to know that she understood the consequences, that she knew what to do if such a thing were to happen.

"Aim for the chip," he advised. He touched the side of her head as emphasis. "Aim for the chip, they don't get up."

She nodded again and he leaned forward, kissing her gently. There was almost a desperation in his kiss and it scared her.

Because Derek Reese was never afraid.

He pulled back and her breath caught. "I love you, too," she whispered.

He didn't reply, simply turned around and headed towards the entrance of Serrano. And suddenly she felt a fear settle inside her stomach and she called his name, her voice breaking.

He turned around, staring back her with, his eyes haunted.

"Hoo-roo," she said, attempting a small smile. "Means I'll see you later."

He didn't return her half-hearted smile. For a moment, she wasn't sure if he was going to return the goodbye either. Finally he did say it. And he quickly turned and headed for the entrance again, never looking back.

But his hoo-roo hadn't sounded sincere. Almost as if he was just saying it to make her feel better. She felt her heart tremble. Did he really think he wouldn't come back from this mission? Did he really not think he would see her later?

She reached out for that last word. _Hoo-roo, Derek. I'll see you later. _He had said it and she had to believe that he had meant it when he did. She'd hold him to that.

**************

**Now...**

**_USS Jimmy Carter_**

**September 13, 2027**

Jesse stood inside the _Jimmy Carter _with the entire crew, minus Queeg who was up on the command deck steering the thing. She'd spent the last few hours trying to keep her mind off Derek and his reluctant goodbye. She'd been trying to dispel the fear that he'd placed in her, the fear that somehow she wouldn't see him again.

She'd needed something to take her mind off him and his dangerous, different mission. Initiating Christopher Garvin would do nicely, since Connor had basically just assigned them to their crew on the spur of the moment. Queeg had taught Garvin the basics of operating sonar, got him up to date with the lingo and the behavior required. But he hadn't been initiated yet.

Until now.

She kept an eye on the watch that was calculating their position in the water. At her side, Dietze stood at attention, asking calmly, "We cross the line yet?"

"Not yet," she replied. "Give it a tick." Her eyes remained focused on the watch as it finally displayed the highly anticipated transition. "0 degrees north heading south southwest over the equator. Now we've crossed the line."

The room broke out into cheering, hoots and hollers directed down at Garvin who was lying on the ground, sweaty and dirty, but smiling now.

Chief of the Boat looked up with a grin. "One nice thing about metal driving the boat. A schedule's a schedule."

Jesse had known it was coming even before Dietze remarked with a fake smile, "One nice thing." She still couldn't believe how deep his hatred ran for the machines and Queeg in particular. At least he seemed to be controlling it better than normal. Maybe leading the initiation had put him in a semi-better mood.

"That mean we're done?" Garvin asked from the floor, his voice hopeful.

"Quiet, you," Jesse ordered, hiding a smile.

Dietze reached behind his back and pulled out a scroll, handing it to her, declaring, "Proclamation."

Jesse unrolled the parchment and began reading the proclamation she and Dietze had come up with the first time the _Carter _had been sent out on a mission. She started to read, "Know ye that sonar man second class Christopher Garvin on the thirteenth day of September two thousand twenty seven aboard USS Jimmy Carter appeared at the equator at latitude 0 longitude 180, entering into our royal domain. And having been inspected and found worthy by my royal staff was initiated into the Solemn Mysteries of the Ancient Order of the Deep. I command my subjects to honor and respect him as one of our trusty shellbacks."

Dietze lifted his shoulders, staring down at Garvin expectantly. "Now rise, shellback."

Garvin's grin widened and he held up a hand for Dietze to help him up. The Lieutenant didn't move to assist, earning several chuckles from the other sailors as Garvin struggled to his feet on his own. Dietze glanced over at Jesse. "Never gets old, does it?"

"Never," she agreed. Some might say it was stupid or childish, but in a world like the one they lived it, they had to seize moments like that when they could. It was why Connor believed it was so important to celebrate birthdays. If you couldn't enjoy life at some point, it wouldn't matter at all. They'd become like the machines, fighting mindlessly for a future that none of them would know what to do with. She had agreed with him, which was why they started the Shellback Initiation, a way to relieve tension and get the crew together to participate in a celebratory event that would make Garvin feel welcome in his new team.

That celebratory smile was knocked off everyone's face when the _Carter_ suddenly shook, not enough to throw anyone off balance, but enough to cause the happy air to leave the room, replaced by apprehension and determination.

"Depth charge," Chief reported.

The second death charge again shook the _Carter_, worse this time and Jesse stumbled, regaining her balance before snapping out the order, "General quarters, go! Go!"

She raced up towards the command deck with Garvin and Chief, nearly falling when another death charge shook the _Carter_ once more. Eventually, the trio made it up to the command deck.

Garvin wiped the dirt off his face and relieved the other fill-in sonar man from his seat. Queeg was at the helm and Jesse hurried up to him.

"Four depth charges," Chief reported. "Shook us up a bit. No damage."

"They want us to make a mistake, reveal our position," Queeg stated, his voice unnaturally calm, which was completely normal for him.

"Lot of metal in the water, captain," Garvin reported from his station, mere seconds before the _Carter_ rocked again.

"Barrage! Getting closer!" the Chief called out frantically.

"ASW Bots," Jesse realized. _Hydrobots_. "How many?"

"Travel in packs," Chief replied. "No way to tell."

That wasn't good enough. "Mr. Garvin?" Jesse asked. When he didn't answer right away, she repeated it, more urgently. "Garvin?"

He held up a hand from his station. "Not ASW Bots."

She saw Queeg slowly turn his head to look over at the sonarman. Jesse stared at Garvin as the new recruit watched the sonar, listening for the pings. Finally he leaned back, pulling one headphone off his ear, his eyes wide. "Oh man oh man. Kraken. We've got a Kraken."

A horror-filled silence fell across the deck. And Jesse understood why. She knew exactly what a Kraken was. Skynet's deadly attack submersible. It was faster, stronger, deadlier. She'd never actually seen one. The _Carter_ had been lucky enough to avoid Krakens, but Derek had related to her how his team had hijacked a Kraken after it had blown up the _Seawolf. _He'd told her how another Kraken had come and destroyed the first. So she knew how dangerous they could be. "You sure?"

"Bet my life on it," Garvin replied.

"Feed the sonar picture to Tactical," she ordered, walking up to the screen.

"Aye, ma'am."

Jesse watched as the picture showed onscreen. "You're a big fellow aren't you?" she remarked as she stared at the schematics. "And very far from home." What was it doing out here? The route to Perth wasn't near any major Skynet zones, which was why they'd never encountered a Kraken before on any previous trips. The tactical disappeared and Jesse stared at the map, frowning at their location. This wasn't the way to Perth. She knew that route like the back of her hand. "That can't be right. Where are we?"

"Chief of the boat, status of our torpedo stock," Queeg demanded.

Jesse glanced up. What was going through Queeg's mind? There was no way they could stand and fight.

Chief seemed to be thinking the same thing, but he complied with the captain's orders. "Two, maybe three I'd consider worth using in a fight."

"Ready tube one," Queeg commanded. "Hold for my order."

_What? _Jesse started back toward Queeg when another charge rattled the ship. "Queeg!" she said. "We can't fight a Kraken with one torpedo. Or three." Even a Kraken couldn't stand up to a Kraken. Derek's hijacked sub had been destroyed by the other. He had barely escaped. On the _Carter_, with three torpedos, they didn't stand a chance. "We need to break contact and find a way around."

Queeg completely ignored her, directing his attention to Garvin instead. "Mr. Garvin, active sonar please. One ping only."

Jesse remained still, making eye contact with Garvin who had looked to her for confirmation.

"One ping, aye," he repeated. He turned on the sonar, the one ping echoing. As she listened, Jesse was trying to work out Queeg's strategy. Because he no doubt had one. He was smarter than any of them, more strategic than the best sub commander before him. But she couldn't figure out his game.

"Torpedo in the water!" Garvin shouted. "Closing fast, maybe… forty seconds."

"Yes," Queeg confirmed, his voice deadly calm. "Status on my torpedo."

"Torpedo ready," Chief reported.

"Thirty seconds fuse," Queeg said. "Match our speed and bearing at the breakaway, fire."

Chief looked to Jesse for confirmation, but by now she had picked up on part of Queeg's plan. Their torpedo and the Kraken's would make contact. "You heard him. Fire."

That was all Chief needed to hear. He flipped the switch. "Torpedo away."

"The other's still closing," Garvin reported, his voice edged with tension. "Fifty five knots."

Queeg began tipping the controls downward. Jesse quickly moved back to position behind the tactical screen, watching as the submarine kept descending. "You've got us twenty degrees down bubble! Ahead full--" This wasn't right. They couldn't survive down there… "Queeg! You're ta-."

"Taking the boat to 729.8 meters," Queeg interrupted calmly.

"Crush depth."

"To the edge of crush depth," Queeg corrected. "The Kraken won't be able to follow. The sonar will reflect off the thermocline climb layer. We'll be-."

Now it was Jesse's turn to finish his sentence. "Invisible. We're playing dead." She didn't smile, they weren't out of this yet. But she had to admit, everyone on that sub should be incredibly grateful to Queeg right now. Even Dietze.

"Eight seconds to torpedo contact," Garvin reported.

"Approaching crush depth," Queeg announced.

Chief's eyes were wide with fear. "If he's off by even a millimeter for even a fraction of a second…"

"He won't be," Jesse replied. Connor had told her that. It was what had convinced her that a machine driving would be a good thing. "This is what he does."

Garvin ripped off his earphones. "Detonations. Our torpedo and theirs. Eleven hundred meters to starboard. One twenty on the Z."

Jesse kept her voice calm. "Now we roll over, stick out our tongue, hold our breath."

Chief's voice was laced with apprehension. "Skipper, we're at 729.8."

"I am aware, Chief," Queeg replied, straightening out the boat easily. "Thank you."

"729.8 and holding…"

Jesse almost smiled at the incredulous expression on the Chief's face. Queeg's own expression had never changed throughout the entire ordeal. "You may return to your duty stations now."

The rest of the crew all looked to her, faces white with shock. "You heard the captain, people," Jesse replied. "What? You never been twenty centimeters from your maker before? Move!" As the rest of the crew started off the bridge, Jesse moved forward, leaning over next to Queeg. "Skipper, when we're done skating over our deaths, I've got a question."

She glanced over at his impassive face. "Why are we three hundred miles off course?"

**************

**Depot II**

**TDE Chamber**

"You still need someone to build the TDE in the bank vault," Cameron reminded him.

John sighed and nodded, his mind still processing the loss of his father and uncle. He knew neither of them would view it this way, and he knew he shouldn't be thinking it, but he couldn't shake the knowledge that he had sent both of them to their deaths. Kyle, yes, had gotten to be with Sarah for two days. But then he had died. Derek would survive for another two years, but then he, too, would die. And before he died, he would have to kill the woman he loved, who would come back in time with Riley.

Was this the fate of all time travelers? Death?

Anyone he had ever sent back in time had ended up dead. And not a nice death, not being able to live out life in peace. No, they'd all been killed, had their lives ended abruptly. He had sent Kyle back. Kyle had been killed. He sent Derek back. Derek had been killed. Sayles, Sumner, and Timms had all been killed. He'd just sent Andy back in time to die in the place of his younger self. Uncle Bob had been incinerated. Wells, the soldier who had wrote the list, would be killed on the way through the time bubble. Jesse and Riley were both killed. Even Cameron… Cameron would essentially die in the past too. John Henry would pull her chip.

There was only one person who had survived in the past. Star. Or Chola. Because he hadn't sent her on a mission, he'd sent her back to save her life. Everyone else was dead.

So was the past really all that great a place to be? The paradise everyone thought it was?

Who would he pick to send away now? Knowing that their fate would most likely be the same? Or maybe it wouldn't. Sending someone to 1963 was a lot different than sending them into the heart of the war in the past. Skynet wouldn't suspect this. Whoever he sent would be relatively safe.

"Matt Storms," he said aloud. Storms was the other engineer he trusted the most, aside from Andy. Storms had been a valuable asset and if anyone could recreate the time machine, he could.

A few minutes later, Cameron brought in Matt, who looked curious and confused at the same time. "General," he greeted. "What's going on?"

"I need you to recreate this time machine, but make it smaller. Small enough to fit into a bank vault, safety deposit box."

Matt frowned. "A bank vault?" he asked skeptically.

"Don't ask questions," John warned. "Can you do it?"

Matt stared down at the machine. "John Henry has been showing me how it works and I understand it all. I'm sure I can build it. Why?"

"I'll be sending you back in time to 1963 to build one inside a bank vault," John explained.

"Back in time?"

"You can't take anything with you when you go. No clothes, no weapons, no parts."

Matt laughed incredulously. "How am I supposed to build it back there? That's before I was born, we didn't have the technology…"

"Figure out what you can use from the past and let me know what future components you need," John said. "I'll be sending some Terminators with you. They'll transport the parts you need."

"I thought we can't--."

"It'll be encased in human flesh," John replied. "Once there, they are instructed to remove the pieces for your use."

Matt grimaced. "You mean…" he made a cutthroat motion with his hand.

John shrugged. "Well, not the throat, but yes. Then they are ordered to power down. You get thermite and you burn them. You use what you need to and destroy everything else."

Cameron spoke up, "Even a single unaccounted-for piece could alter the course of technological evolution and hasten the arrival of Judgment Day."

Will nodded his understanding. "Can I bring my sister with me?"

"Sister?"

"I have a sister at SRD," he explained. "I'd like her to come. Maybe after I build the TDE, we can have a normal life again."

John smiled slightly. "Of course. I'll send the mini-Krakens to retrieve her and the other scientists who want to come here to Serrano. Maybe they'll have some new ideas we can use." He nodded to the TDE. "In the meantime, familiarize yourself with that equipment so that you can rebuild it in the past."

"I can help him," Cameron said. "I'll be going with him."

John froze, turning to her in shock. "What?"

"I have to open a safety deposit box," she explained. "And he has to key in my biometrics."

"But… then you are --."

"Coming back," she finished. "Yes. I'll use the TDE to come back."

"Good," John murmured. He definitely wasn't prepared to let her go yet. The closer it got to the end of 2027, the more anxious he became, holding on to every moment with her. Because he knew the end was coming.

As soon as Skynet rebuilt its own TDE, it would send Cromartie to the past to terminate his younger self.

And Cameron would have to follow.

***************

**_U.S.S. Jimmy Carter_**

**Command Deck**

Jesse stood in front of Queeg, her arms crossed, her eyes questioning. "We've been bearing forty degrees off course for four hours into a major Skynet zone. What's going on?"

"Our new mission required it," Queeg replied.

_New mission? _Jesse frowned. "What mission?" What was Queeg talking about? "Where are we headed?"

"A deep water oil platform near the Indonesian Archipelago. Lieutenant Dietze and his team will board the rig and retrieve a package. We will deliver this package to Serrano Point."

This huge detour just to pick up a package? And what about their original mission? "We have important cargo to take to Perth. Components, vaccines…"

"Our orders come from John Connor."

Jesse paused, letting that sink in. If John Connor had ordered it, then it must be important. But what was it? "These orders from John Connor. Do they say what we're after, what is it?"

"Yes," Queeg replied simply. "They say what the package is."

He obviously wasn't going to tell her anymore, so she forced a smile. "Right."

"Please inform the crew," Queeg said as he started for the door. "Thank you."

Jesse stood there for a long moment. She was curious as to what this package was and why Connor needed it so badly. But she knew that Queeg would have told her if it was important. Connor had probably just classified the information on a need-to-know basis.

She could live with that.

She found Dietze and the rest of the crew in the mess hall. "New mission," she stated. "We're heading for a deep sea oil rig platform to pick up a package for John Connor. Dietze, you and your team will board the rig and pick it up."

Dietze raised an eyebrow, casting a glance at his team. "What package?"

"A package," Jesse replied. "For Connor."

"That's all I get to know?"

"All you get to know," she agreed. "Your job is simple and straightforward."

Dietze shrugged. "Go pick up the package. I think we can handle that."

"Alright," Jesse said. "You have time to prepare and meet at the ASDS when I give the order."

The rest of the crew filed out to grab their gear, and Jesse headed out into the hallway, aware of Dietze following her. This time there was no controlled front for the sake of his teammates. He seemed concerned. Disturbed even.

"This is Skynet territory," he protested. "I saw the charts. We're way off the original course."

"I told you," she replied. "It's our new mission."

"Right."

"Look, I know we're diving deep into Skynet territory but here's the tip: it's _all _Skynet territory."

Dietze's eyes squinted. "Did the metal fill you in on these new orders before we left? Or is this news to you too?"

Jesse pursed her lips. "Is that important?"

"A metal doesn't change its oil without a plan," Dietze replied. "If it fills you in, that's part of the plan. And if it doesn't, that's also part of the plan."

"But, either way, the plan's the plan," she replied. Queeg had the plan. He had the orders. Everything was going as planned.

Dietze seemed less sure. "Yeah, that's some plan." He paused before continuing. "You know sailors used to mark maps with things like 'Here be dragons' and 'Edge of the world. Welcome.'"

Jesse cracked a smile. How unlike him. "What happened to Dietze? You're telling me you're afraid of a little ASW bot?"

Dietze didn't laugh. "See, you call it fear and I call it respect and good sense. I mean, what would your boyfriend say? The one you met at Serrano?"

For a moment, Jesse froze, all other thoughts ceasing at the sudden unexpected mention. "Reese, Derek," she supplied automatically.

"Yeah, that's him," Dietze agreed. _Of course it is, _she fought the urge to say. _Think I don't know my own boyfriend? _"He would say the same thing to you," Dietze pressed forward. "This is a bad idea."

She could hear Derek's concerned voice in her head. _You're stuck in a can under the ocean with one of those things. _"He told me to stay off the boat," she said quietly.

Dietze's face bordered on 'I told you so'. "Wise man. How is he, by the way? You hear things around, stories."

_I'm going on a mission too. Something else, something different. _He'd acted strange, different. His _hoo-roo _had been forced, haunted. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to answer Dietze positively.

"He's fine." He'd said it. He'd said he'd see her later. She had to take him at his word.

"Well, good," Dietze agreed. "People say that he's a good man."

"He is a good man," Jesse said. "Don't let anyone tell you different." Her mind flashed back to seeing him walking away, the cold feeling that nothing would ever be the same, that for some reason, she'd gotten the feeling that she wouldn't see him again.

She looked away, then realized Dietze was still in front of her. "You'd better go get ready," she warned him. "We'll be at the rig soon."

Dietze nodded slowly. "Right." He started down the tunnel again, leaving Jesse alone to her thoughts.

*************

**_U.S.S. Jimmy Carter_**

**ASDS Launch Deck**

Dietze got the call about half an hour later. Their metal captain's voice came over the intercom, informing them that the _Carter_ had arrived at the oil rig and Dietze's team needed to board the ASDA to retrieve the mysterious package.

Dietze wished he'd been told what the thing was he was supposed to be picking up, but he figured that as long as Commander Flores knew and not _just _the metal, then it couldn't be too bad. Even if Queeg had kept it a secret from even her up until now.

Jesse met him as he was on his way to the ASDS. "Just stay sharp," she advised. "You'll be fine."

"Oh, I know I'll be fine," Dietze replied with a smug grin. He lifted his plasma rifle. "I got this."

"I'm serious, Dietze."

Dietze turned around, facing her with his back to the doorway where the rest of his squad was loaded up to enter the mini sub. "I'm always serious about being fine."

"You do me one favor."

He dipped his head as if to say "I'm listening."

"You see anything you don't like out there, you think before you pull that trigger."

Dietze could understand her warning. She'd been there the day Connor had first brought _Cameron _into the base. Dietze had been the first to recognize her for what she was so naturally, he had raised his weapon to shoot. He didn't expect Connor to step in the way, or for Kyle Reese to shove his rifle aside.

Sure, he hated the machines and he hated the way Connor trusted them and kept them on base. But he wasn't stupid. "I've been seeing things I don't like since J-Day. You don't get to be my age without thinking first."

He started to join the rest of his group as they headed to the ASDS. Jesse hadn't seem all that thrilled with his answer so he decided to reassure her.

"I swear, Mom," he said jokingly. "We'll hold hands before we cross the street." He saw Goodnow and the other members of his team chuckle at the comment. Even Jesse smiled as he finally turned and headed into the ASDS.

Being the leader of his squad, Dietze took command immediately, grabbing the controls and maneuvering the mini sub up to the oil rig platform.

When they finally disembarked, Dietze stepped off into the oil rig, his nose curling up instantly in disgust at the foul smell. Almost as soon as they had landed, he heard his radio click on and Jesse's voice came out.

"ASDS, this is _Carter_, over."

Dietze cracked a smile. "Hey, Mom. I'll say this much about deep sea oil rigs. Second worst thing I've ever smelled." He imagined her smiling and he knew she wouldn't ask what the first worst smell was. They all knew what that was, something that had all experienced firsthand.

Burning flesh.

"Dark as night out here," he whispered.

"We're gonna keep this channel open," Jesse remarked over the radio. "Maintain radio silence until you've got the package."

"Planning on it," Dietze said before he slipped the radio back into his pack.

He turned on the light that was affixed to the scope of his plasma rifle, holding it at the ready as he waved his group further into the rig. He was feeling a flash of apprehension but tried not to show it. What on earth were they picking up here? Was there anyone even here? Where was this oh-so-important package?

He advanced slowly down the stairs, hearing the faint footsteps of his squad following. As he reached a low archway tunnel, he signaled for them to hold while he entered the door, cautiously making his way around until he saw the large open room.

He almost froze in shock.

_Terminators. _

He quickly jerked his head back. Had they seen him? What were they doing here? Were they reprogrammed? That thing at their feet, that large box… was that the package?

He numbly made his way back to his group, meeting Goodnow's questioning gaze before setting his plasma rifle up against the wall. This was the only way to complete the mission and retrieve that package. He couldn't be seen as a threat. And he wouldn't have the rest of his team go down with him if this ended badly.

He made a motion with his hand towards the stairs, the signal for them to retreat. As soon as he saw that they were indeed obeying, he steeled himself, took a deep breath and headed back through the tunnel to the waiting machines.

As he approached, he lifted his hands into the air, feeling his pulse start picking up. Two of the machines were endoskeltons, wielding plasma rifles of their own, the third figure was back in the shadows. And the box was sitting there in the middle.

"Connor sent me," he began, trying to keep his voice from wavering. "John Connor."

The figure in that back had to be human, he imagined. That human must have reprogrammed these two Terminators on their own. Maybe John had made contact with this rogue person and asked for the box. That had to be it.

Because John Connor had never been out this far, in the middle of the ocean. So it couldn't be resistance work. It had to be a third party. Dietze nodded to the box.

"I've come for that. That's for him. I'm just here to pick it up."

The third figure's silence was definitely unnerving and suddenly the man stepped out of the shadows, stepping up to the box. Dietze's face froze. He could tell it instantly.

It wasn't a man.

It was another Terminator. The machine reached down and effortlessly lifted the box, staring at him and waiting for an instruction of what to do with it. But Dietze could only stare in helpless shock.

Who was running these Terminators? Who had reprogrammed them? If they were all machines, how was this possible? Was this is a trick? A trap? Did Connor know that there machines appeared to be just… machines? Pure Skynet? Not reprogrammed?

And more importantly, what was in the box he was supposed to bring back to Connor? Why was it so blasted important? What the heck was _in _it?

He didn't know.

But he was determined to find out.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: [Cody and Blair pilot mini-Krakens] CODY: So you know the mission, right? BLAIR: Retrieve the girl. Straight forward and easy. [On the Jimmy Carter…] DIETZE: One of us should know why. Not just one of them. JESSE: John Connor knows. [Cameron and Matt step into the time bubble.] CAMERON: (to John) Don't worry. It won't seem like long to you. [Blue flash and she disappears.]_

_Oh, yes, and Dietze will die, which should make most of you really happy.  
_


	47. Born to Hold

_Yes, I know last chapter was mostly just a filler/recap of the events in the show. Some liked it, most didn't. But it had to happen. Sorry. _

_Previously on Born to Fight: QUEEG: Lieutenant Dietze and his team will board the rig and retrieve a package. We will deliver this package to Serrano Point. DIETZE: Did the metal fill you in on these new orders before we left? Or is this news to you too? [Dietze meets the Terminators inside the rig] DIETZE: Connor sent me. I've come for that. [At Serrano] JOHN: (to Matt) I'll be sending you back in time to 1963 to build a TDE inside a bank vault. CAMERON: I'll be going with him. MATT: Can I bring my sister with me? JOHN: Of course. I'll send the mini-Krakens to retrieve her._

**Chapter Forty Seven:**

**Born to Hold**

**Pacific Ocean**

**Skynet Research and Development Station**

Blair sat in the cockpit of the mini-Kraken, checking the viewing screens to make sure Cody and the other drivers of the mini-Krakens were right behind. She could understand why Connor had asked her on this mission. The controls for the min-Kraken weren't all that different from flying a helicopter. But the underwater thing definitely took some getting used to.

She was used to being hundreds of feet _above_ sea level, not hundreds of feet _below_ it.

Cody's voice came out of the intercom system that connected the mini-Krakens. "So you know the mission, right? We're here to pick up Erin Storms."

"Retrieve the girl and anyone else who wants to come to Serrano," she confirmed easily. "Straight forward and easy."

"Right."

Chatter diminished on his end and Blair finally decided to keep up the conversation. It was rather lonely in the tiny mini-Kraken and the vast ocean was definitely somewhat unnerving. Especially for a woman who was used to soaring in the sky.

"So what's your deal with Connor?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Cody asked.

Blair shrugged, before she realized he couldn't see her. "Just the way you act around him," she replied. "You always seem like you have this great big secret to tell but you don't." Like maybe a great big secret as to where he actually came from. All they knew was that he'd been living in Zion with Savannah and Ellison and that he was the son of a resistance fighter who'd been sent to the past to help Sarah Connor with her mission. "He's told me that you're the son of a resistance fighter," she added. "But you don't look like anyone we know. So what's your deal?"

She heard him sigh heavily. "It's complicated."

Blair cracked a smile, sensing that he was reluctant to elaborate. "Always is…"

"Speaking of complications," he said suddenly, his voice edged with fear. "I think we have one right now."

Blair checked her sonar and saw what was worrying Cody. Right off shore of the island SRD was some kind of huge submarine she'd never seen before.

"What is that?"

"Kraken," Cody reported. "Skynet's attack sub. We hijacked one on the way back from the Amazon. These mini-Krakens attach to the hull. See, they're all missing except one." Blair drew her mini-Kraken closer, seeing that he was right. The large Kraken was missing its mini-Krakens.

"That means Skynet sent those mini's to the surface to attack the base," Cody added, his voice heavy. "They probably carried up some Terminators."

"We have to help them!" Blair insisted.

Cody's voice was filled with grim determination. "Planning on it," he reported. She saw his mini-Kraken head up for the surface and moved hers to follow.

Once they disembarked, she charged up her plasma rifle, following Cody down into the SRD, keeping an eye out for the Terminators that were attempting to ambush the base.

A Terminator rounded the corner, but it dropped to the ground before Blair could move, a hole in its head. Cody lowered his rifle and she looked at him in respect.

"Good shooting."

"Thanks," he said with a cocky grin. "Tell that to my mother. She was an absolute perfect shot. I could never beat her at anything."

"Who's your mother?"

Cody grinned again. "Uh-uh, you're not getting any information out me."

She shrugged. It had been worth a shot. If he was going to remain closed off about his past, so be it. She followed him through the base until they reached the civilian quarters.

Her radio crackled and she picked it up. "Williams here, over."

"Williams, this is Hamilton," Kristin's voice came over the line, sounding anxious. "Some of the scientists have told us that Skynet stole their new weapon, some kind of liquid metal Terminator named Patrick."

Blair's heart sank. "Skynet has it now?"

"Yeah, that and the shipment of Halypsion metal you dropped off from _Serenity._"

Blair scowled. "Blast it, Skynet…"

"We're pulling out," Kristin reported. "We've got the rest of the scientists. You found the girl yet?"

"Not yet," Blair replied. "We're in the civilian quarters now. We'll get her and meet up with you in the water. Over and out."

Cody burst through the door ahead of Blair, his eyes locking onto one frightened young woman. "Are you Erin Storms?"

Her eyes flashed from him to Blair, but she nodded slowly. Cody held out a hand in an extremely John-Connor-like fashion.

"Come with me if you want to live," he said seriously. Erin took his hand and he yanked her to her feet. He turned his attention back to Blair. "Let's get back to the Krakens, move move!"

Blair reacted instantly, leading the way down the hall. When they reached the mini-Krakens, she saw all the others were already gone. The other soldiers must have already loaded up their refugees and taken off.

She hopped into her own and sped off, following them.

"Williams!" she heard over the radio. "You and Phillips make it?"

"Copy that, Hamilton," Blair replied. She took a look at the sonar. The group up ahead was way more than what they'd started out with. "Where'd you get the other subs?"

Hamilton chuckled. "We kinda stole them from the other Kraken. Hope Skynet doesn't mind. But they were just sitting there from where the machines had left them so we figured, might as well!"

She recognized Cody's laugh over the intercom. "Nice work," he commented. "That means we're home free. They don't have anything fast enough to follow us."

"So back to Serrano, then?" Blair asked.

"Back to Serrano," Cody echoed.

****************

**_U.S.S. Jimmy Carter_**

**Command Deck**

Jesse stood next to the Chief of the Boat on the _Carter_'s command deck, listening over the radio for Dietze's confirmation. After about ten minutes of silence, she heard his voice over the speakers.

"_Carter_, this is ASDS. Package is secured. Standing by for all clear."

"Visual on the package, ASDS?" Jesse asked.

"Visual," Dietze repeated, his voice sounded… off, somehow. Haunted. "Aye, aye."

The picture of the package came up on the screen, transmitting from Dietze's recorder. Jesse raised an eyebrow. It didn't look like much, just some kind of metal crate.

Chief stood with his arms crossed, staring at the transmission. "What the heck is that?"

Jesse shrugged. "It's Connor's box."

"All we know?"

"All we know," she confirmed. She gave ASDS the all clear to return and dock inside the _Carter. _A few minutes later, she, Chief, and Queeg all met the squad as they disembarked the mini-sub. Dietze and at least three others were struggling with bringing the package down the stairs.

"Little help?" Dietze called, grunting under the strain. "Captain?"

Queeg made no move to assist Dietze and the squad carefully set the box down.

As Jesse watched the scene, Queeg addressed her, "I will secure the package in the magazine. Authorized access only."

He stepped forward and lifted the box effortlessly, carrying it out the door towards the magazine. Jesse watched him go, aware of Dietze's eyes following first Queeg, then her.

"You wanna let us little people know what's in the box?" He asked with a forced smile on his face. "Or is it classified between you and Queeg?"

Jesse shrugged. "It's between Queeg and Queeg. I don't know a thing."

She saw Dietze's eyes narrow slightly and he took a step forward. "And that doesn't bother you? Metal keeping secrets from skin?"

The rest of the crew began replacing their weapons and heading out as Jesse contemplated her response to his question. Did it bother her that Queeg knew something she didn't? No. She trusted Queeg. She trusted Connor.

"No. It doesn't," she replied. "Not even a little."

"Well it should," Dietze retorted. "And not just a little, but a lot."

"We were sent to pick up the box and bring it back so we're picking up the box and bringing it back."

"And one of us should know why," Dietze protested. "One of us. Not just one of them."

"One of us knows," Jesse replied calmly. "His name's John Connor."

***************

**Depot II**

**Entrance**

"What are these things?" John asked, pointing to the two clearly non-human twins that had come back with the rescue crew.

"Hi, Connor. Nice to finally meet you too," one of the scientists said.

John shifted his gaze from the two creepy Terminators to the group of scientists. "Sorry. You are?"

"Juan Lopez," the man said, giving John a firm handshake. He gestured to the rest of the group. "This is Robert Kim, my fellow scientist. And these are our families."

John heard footsteps running up and turned to see Cameron and Matt Storms enter, Cameron having gone to retrieve Matt as soon as the crew had returned.

"Erin!" he exclaimed. He ran forward and hugged his little sister tightly, glancing up at Blair and Cody who stood off to the side. "Thank you."

John gave the two a quick nod of approval. "So," he began, turning back to Lopez. "There's only two scientists at SRD? Where are the others?"

"They took refuge," Lopez replied. "We'll be able to use SRD again. Skynet was only after Patrick and the Halypsion metal."

"Patrick?"

"One of the T-1000 liquid metals we've been working with."

"And the metal, too? The shipment from the _Serenity_?"

Lopez winced. "Yes."

"Great."

Matt finally turned his attention away from his sister and glanced at Lopez, his eyes looking past him to the two twins standing unmoving and unblinking. "Why are there two Kims?"

The real Robert Kim raised a hand from back in the crowd, catching Matt's eye. "They needed a template for now. I didn't want them running around looking like freaky metal blobs."

John glanced at the two twins, nodding his understanding. "So these are two of the T-1000s you've been working on."

"Yes," Lopez confirmed. "These ones are reprogrammed to defend humans. It's embedded in their code."

"Unlike the T-1001," John finished.

"Well, yes. That one is a sentient virus resulting from the combining of Skynet and John Henry code. It has a mind of its own."

John knew this. It was why he had asked for its help. Rogues were more dependable than reprogrammed machines anyway. Rogues never "went bad." The news about Patrick and the metal shipment was disheartening, but all was not lost. Not if SRD had gotten the T-1001 to the rendezvous point before Skynet had ambushed them.

"The T-1001," he began. "What happened with it?"

"As far as we know, the _Carter _was successful in picking it up," Lopez replied. "We left it with some machines at the rendezvous point. And the Kraken followed us, right? So that must mean they are on their way back home with it."

John nodded. He only hoped none of the crew of the _Carter _would be stupid enough to wonder what was inside that crate.

*************

**_U.S.S. Jimmy Carter_**

**Mess Hall**

Jesse had known there would be dissent almost as soon as she had revealed that only Queeg knew what was in that box. Up until now, Dietze had tolerated Queeg. And she knew why. It was because he had trusted that as long as _she _knew what was going on, then it would be okay. As long as a _human _knew the mission. As soon as the cat was let out of the bag that Queeg was running things, she knew everything would start going haywire.

Dietze would start up again, just like he usually did. She left the command deck and headed for the mess hall where the sailors were on their break. Sure enough, she heard Dietze's voice as soon as she neared the doorway. "And for what?" he was asking, his voice hushed but firm. "To take a box back to Serrano?"

"Connor needs it," Garvin shot back, his tone of voice suggesting that he meant to end the conversation at that.

Dietze was no so easily dissuaded. "Connor?" he exploded. "Connor is so into his big chess match with Skynet he doesn't even see that the tin cans have us right where they want us." Jesse stared at him from across the room. Everyone seemed to be paying attention to him. Because that's who Dietze was. He was a leader. The only problem was that he would lead them straight into a mutiny against Queeg if he thought it best. "Metal on every base," he continued. "Running the show in all but name. Just waiting. To hit us all at once with something big. Maybe something that's in that box."

Before things could get any further out of hand, Jesse turned around, firmly announcing, "Break time's over. Those of you on watch, get to your stations. Dietze."

Dietze rose from his chair, seeming to know what was coming.

"Get to your rack," she ordered. "I don't want to see you again till forenoon watch." Dietze pressed his lips together tightly, his anger barely in check. "Yes ma'am," she stated. "That's what you say."

This wasn't the first time he'd done this. But usually that reminder was all it took. But now Dietze had reached the end of his rope. Instead of acknowledging her, he shook his head slightly and turned to leave.

Jesse caught his arm, forcing him to face her again. At first he refused to meet her eyes, acting more like a petty teenager than a grown man. Finally his eyes locked on hers, though she could see that there was no respect in them anymore.

Dietze was falling apart. And if he kept this up, he would take the whole crew apart with him.

"You're a good sailor," she said honestly. "But the pressure's starting to get to you."

"Yeah?" Dietze asked. "So what's getting to you? Ma'am?" Jesse's eyes followed him as he left, her mind contemplating his statement. What exactly was getting to Dietze? Was it the fact that Queeg was keeping secrets? Was it the fact that no one knew what was in the box? Was it the fact that Dietze believed the machines were drawing closer to a point where they would take over?

Those were all of Dietze's concerns. But Jesse didn't worry about any of those. None of them bothered her. She held Queeg to his word.

_So what's getting to you, ma'am?_

_Nothing._

And maybe that was the problem.

**************

**Depot II**

**TDE Chamber**

John Connor stood beside Cameron inside the TDE chamber, fighting a lump in his throat. She seemed to sense his apprehension, for she turned to regard him, flashing him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry," she said. "It won't seem like long to you."

He still hated it. Because he knew it would be a long time for her. She would go back with Matt Storms and help him build the TDE inside the vault. She would open up her safety deposit box and program her biometrics into the TDE, using it to return to the future.

She was right, it would only be a few hours for him. But it would feel like forever for her. Still, she seemed to be handling it better than he would have.

Matt and Erin were waiting, along with two TT-700 TSUMO Terminators Logan had designed. TSUMO as in Transport Space Utility Mobile Object – a cyborg that resembled a Sumo wrestler. Due to its large size, it was able to accommodate the critical components of the TDE inside its Coltan chassis for transport through time.

"That should be most of the parts you need to build it," John informed Matt. "Cameron can help you find anything else you need."

"Find anything else I need," Matt repeated. "You mean steal parts?"

"It's a very effective strategy," Cameron replied.

John nodded to Ridley. "Set time displacement date to 1963." Ridley complied, firing up the machine. A sudden urge came over John and he rushed forward, quickly pressing his lips up against Cameron's - not caring what Matt or Erin or Ridley might think. He knew she would hold onto that moment. Hopefully it would carry her through the next few months. And the next few hours for him.

He pulled back, flashing her a smile. "Don't forget me, you hear?"

She gave him a placating smile. "I'd never forget you."

He stepped back into the safety of the outer chamber with Ridley, watching with a heavy heart as the blue light flashed, sending the Storms siblings and Cameron back into the past.

****************

**_U.S.S. Carter_**

**Command Deck**

Jesse stood across from Queeg, staring down at the map he was displaying. "We lost a day evading the ASW bots near Fiji," he explained in his emotionless tone. "We'll take a more direct route to make up the time. Make sure the crew is prepared."

He turned to leave, but Jesse quickly stopped him. "Queeg. This crew can sneak through the gates of Hell and back if it has to. But they're not machines. They work better if they have a reason. If they know _why_ you expect them to perform miracles."

She wasn't sure if Dietze's little speech had gotten to her, but she did understand that they needed to know what the big secret was. Or else they wouldn't continue to function.

Queeg didn't seem to see eye to eye with her. "This crew will do their job because that's what's required to survive and complete the mission. You understand."

She was about to open her mouth to argue that no, she didn't understand when an alarm began blaring and a red light began flashing on a diagram of the boat in the cargo hold. Queeg interpreted the information a fraction of second faster than she did.

"Motion detectors in the hold," he reported, even as she headed for the door, picking up two plasma rifles and tossing one to him. "Unauthorized access to our cargo."

Jesse moved quickly down the hallway, pushing the door to the cargo hold, holding her rifle at the ready. Dietze looked up from his position hunched over top of the box, its lid off and sitting to the side.

"Dietze, what the heck did you do?!" she demanded, walking down the steps into the hold.

"Could be anything in there," Dietze insisted, his voice cracking. "A machine, a bomb, anything, alright? And we were just gonna run it right through the front door to Serrano. Now at least we know."

Jesse's face flushed with anger. "Of all the stupid things –!"

"Stupid?" Dietze exploded. His eyes flashed to Queeg. "Stupid is taking their word for it! For anything!" He was panicking, she recognized it. His frenzied eyes locked on Queeg and he gritted his teeth. "I'm not afraid of that thing."

"Well then be afraid of me," Jesse shot back. She was aware of Goodnow saying something, but she ignored it, her attention focused solely on her opinionated lieutenant as he held out his arm, showing her the bar code tattooed on his flesh.

"You spend any time in a work camp, Commander? You don't get to tell me anything," he said, his voice shaking with anger. "And neither does the metal."

"Guys, _look_!" This time Goodnow's sharp tone caught both of their attention. Jesse looked over to see the Petty Officer standing about a foot in front of the box, staring in frozen shock as the silver mass rose up from inside it, forming a humanoid shape.

_Liquid metal, _Jesse realized with shock. It must be a machine of some kind…

Goodnow, thinking the same thing, lifted her plasma rifle in defense. Instantly, the silver blob's arm shot forward, impaling Goodnow.

"Metal!" Dietze hissed, raising his own rifle.

Jesse quickly slammed his rifle down to the ground. "Dietze!" Had he not _seen _what that _thing _had done to Goodnow? If it detected them as a threat they were as good as dead.

She stared at the metal monster, its silver appendage still sticking through Goodnow's body. And the liquid started to ripple, taking on the form of Goodnow. Jesse's eyes widened in shock. It was like staring at a twin. It looked exactly like the Petty Officer. Except for one thing.

The real Goodnow was now lying on the floor, her eyes open and lifeless.

The machine with Goodnow's face turned toward them. Jesse kept her grip on Dietze's arm, could feel him shaking with anger, fear, adrenaline. The machine lifted a finger and waved it back and forth, as if saying _tsk, tsk. _

Then it simply dropped down into the puddle of silver, slithering snake-like straight past Goodnow's body and into the ventilation shaft.

"I told you!" Dietze shouted, out of control with rage. "This is what happens! This is what they do! Pull his chip and make him tell us what the heck is going on!"

"No!" Jesse ordered. She wasn't pulling Queeg's chip. There was an explanation for this. And he'd have to tell her eventually. But right now, they needed to recapture whatever that thing was and put it back in the box. And for that, they needed Queeg. "We divide into search parties," she said. "We turn this boat over stem from stern until we find that thing."

Dietze pursed his lips, looking away, obviously realizing that this was the best course to take. For now. "We need guns…"

"Commander Flores," Queeg spoke up. At first she thought he was going to offer her some words of advice. Or even tell her what that thing was so that they would be able to catch it. Instead he stated, "Secure all sidearms and plasma rifles." Jesse looked away, confusion crossing her face. _What? _They need weapons in order to recapture that thing…

"Take Petty Officer Goodnow's body to the cool room and return to duty," Queeg finished. Jesse snapped her head back to stare at him. "We continue as planned." Queeg headed back up out of the cargo room and Jesse turned to meet Dietze's wide-eyed angry gaze. What did Queeg expect? That they could go on with their daily lives while that _thing _was still out there? Somewhere on the ship?

She quickly hurried up the stairs, shoving her rifle into Garvin's arms as she rushed to catch up to Queeg.

"Queeg!" she called, getting his attention and causing him to turn around. "That thing," she began, drawing in a deep breath. "You know what it is?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me!" she demanded. "At least tell _me_." Queeg made no motion to do so and she stared at him desperately. "Look, we're a team, right? You can--."

"It's not your concern," Queeg interrupted bluntly, brushing past her and back up towards the command deck. Jesse stared after him, her jaw dropping. What happened to being a team? What happened to all they had been through together?

How could he actually act like nothing had happened?

In the back of her mind, she knew the answer. She had always held on to the fact that he was her friend, her teammate. He'd helped her save her mother at Perth. He'd been there to save her life. She'd held onto those few moments as if those few instances made up his whole personality. But, deep down, she knew the truth. Queeg was a machine, just like Dietze had always said. He had a mission and he would fulfill it. The release of that metal monster was not his concern. Goodnow's death was not his concern.

She knew exactly how he could he act like nothing had happened.

Because to him, nothing important did.

************

**Depot II**

"So, what is this new important invention you've created?" John asked. Lopez handed him a sketch of a design of some kind of armor.

"This is the ironman powersuit," Lopez explained. "I came up with the design myself. See, it's an exoskeleton that is strong enough to fight hand to hand against a Terminator."

John raised his eyebrows approvingly. "So what do you need?"

"Well, you know that our shipment of Halypsion was stolen, so we can't make any more T-1000s," Lopez began. "But we can start working on these ironman suits. All we need is to get some--."

The door burst open and John looked up, seeing Cameron standing in the doorway. "I'm back," she announced. He grinned as she came forward, her eyes flicking once to Lopez, apparently deciding that she didn't care what he thought, and kissed John full on the lips.

When she finally broke away, he was grinning broadly. "I take it you missed me? So what happened?"

"Matt created the time machine and programmed in my biometrics only. I helped him burn the TSUMO Terminators as soon as we were done salvaging the parts from them. After the bank opened, I gave myself those safety deposit boxes. I used the time machine and Matt said he would reset everything after I left, then he would find a place to start a life again for him and his sister."

"So everything worked out?"

She smiled slightly. "Yes. Everything worked out fine." She glanced over at Lopez. "What about for you? Is everything working out fine for you?"

Lopez's mouth parted slightly, confusion on his face, but he recovered quickly, handing her the design for the ironman suit.

"All I need is coltan," he said.

John winced, knowing instantly that his request would be a problem. "Coltan's rare here. Skynet has used most of it making their Terminators. I doubt we can find any just stashed away somewhere."

"Yes, we can," Cameron corrected.

John frowned, looking over at her. "How?"

"There's a whole truckload of coltan at the bottom of the ocean."

John's eyes lit up instantly as he remembered. "Carter's stockpile! You drove it off the cliff into the ocean. But how are we supposed to get it?"

"The mini-Kraken," Cameron replied simply. "Its appendages are capable of latching onto other objects and carrying them through the water. It will be easy for us to tow the truck back here."

John grinned. "Alright. We'll take the mini-Kraken. Just let me grab something to eat first."

**************

**_U.S.S. Jimmy Carter_**

**Mess Hall**

Jesse was still trying to sort through everything in her head as she sat in the mess hall, absently picking at the food on her tray. Queeg's behavior was bothering her, no doubt. She didn't actually believe he was purposely trying to sabotage their mission or anything like that, but it was definitely starting to unnerve her. Of course, that could also be due to the fact that a killer liquid metal thing was still somewhere loose on the _Carter_.

"You're not eating."

Jesse jerked back into the present. At first she thought Dietze had been talking to her, his voice had sounded so close, but she heard Garvin reply from the table behind her.

"What?"

"You're not eating," Dietze repeated. "What's the matter? You don't like hashbrowns?"

"No, I like them," Garvin replied, his tone sullen. "I'm just not hungry."

"You're always hungry," Dietze replied, an edge creeping into his voice. "Everyone's always hungry."

He raised his voice at the last sentence, drawing Jesse's attention to his table. "Geez, Dietze," Garvin hissed. "How am I supposed to eat with Goodnow dead and that thing running around out there? Give me a break."

Dietze dropped his fork on his tray and slid it closer to Garvin. "Have mine."

"I said I'm not hungry," Garvin said through gritted teeth.

"Maybe," Dietze replied. "Or maybe you're not really Garvin. Maybe you're that thing."

"And maybe you're freaking crazy!" Garvin exclaimed.

Dietze pushed out of his chair, glancing at the rest of the crew in the mess hall. "He could be metal. And we wouldn't even know it."

Garvin's face flushed with anger and he stood up quickly, grabbing his tray and muttering, "I'll show you metal! I'll show you---."

"Hey!" Jesse jumped between them, snatching Garvin's tray and preventing him from swinging it forward, at the same time shoving aside Dietze's arm. "Hey! Enough!"

A flash of realization crossed Dietze's face. "You're right, Garvin." Jesse held a hand out, cautioning Garvin just in case Dietze was about to attempt to get him to react again. "It's not you." Instead, he shifted his gaze to Jesse, taking a step closer, his eyes blazing. "You're not the one who spends all day locked in a room with metal."

Jesse kept her voice firm as she held up a warning finger. "Stand down, Dietze."

"I knew you were a metal-lover," he said, his voice filled with uncensored hatred. "But maybe, you're more than that. Maybe you're one of them. Just like that little metal witch that follows Connor everywhere." Jesse had remained stoic-faced as Dietze got up in her face. "Maybe we should check… for safety…"

Jesse reacted instinctively, bringing her fist up to smash into Dietze's throat, sending him to the ground. She should have known that her reaction would only serve to prove his point. As soon as she had moved, the rest of the crew lunged, pulling her off Dietze and slamming her against a table.

Jesse could feel their fists slamming into her body on all sides. They grabbed her by her limbs, dragging her off the table and shoving her onto the ground, continuing the assault. Jesse tried to fight them off, but she knew it was hopeless. There were too many, all hyped up adrenaline and hatred, all convinced that she was the enemy.

The kicking started and she curled up into a ball, using her arms to shield her face from the blows. Dietze reached down and grabbed her arm, pulling back his fist to strike.

But he never got the chance to follow through. Something grabbed him from behind and shoved him into the wall. She heard the sharp crack of his head against the concrete, saw his body drop to the floor, and looked up into the emotionless face of their metal captain.

Everyone had backed off as soon as it had happened, standing in a circle around her, their eyes all on Queeg. "Report to your duty stations," he commanded. Slowly, the crowd started to depart, leaving Jesse panting heavily on the floor, beaten, battered, and bruised.

And broken.

She sat up, staring over at the place where Dietze had landed, his head in perfect view. Blood was flowing from a gash on his head and from his mouth and nose. But it didn't matter. Not anymore.

His eyes were wide open, but there was no warmth of life in them anymore.

Dietze was dead.

*************

**Deep Ocean**

**Aboard the Mini-Kraken**

"Hey, pull up here," John said. Cameron, who was sitting almost on his lap in the tiny mini-Kraken cockpit started to protest.

"We have not retrieved the package yet," she replied.

"I know," he agreed. "But it's right there and we'll come back down to get it. Just take us up to the surface right now." She obeyed, pulling up on the controls. The mini-Kraken ascended until it broke the surface. Complying with John's orders, Cameron guided the mini-sub over to the shore, a small beach down underneath the towering cliff.

John climbed out, stepping lightly across the sand, feeling a strange sense of joy. He'd never expected to see a beach again, no matter how small it was. He dropped to his knees, feeling the sand with his fingers, grinning like a schoolboy.

Cameron came up beside him and he shifted so he was sitting on the sand, staring out at the vast ocean. He had to admit, he had flawless timing. The sun was just starting to set over the horizon, casting a orange glow on the water.

"What do you think?" he asked, gazing at the setting sun.

Cameron sat down beside him, her eyes flashing in all directions, no doubt searching for threats before she focused on the sun. "It's beautiful," she remarked.

"Like you," John agreed with a grin.

She didn't blush. He wasn't even sure if she was capable of that. But he did see her smile ever so slightly. He leaned back, laying his head against the soft sand, feeling the breeze from the ocean rustling his hair. "Would you just relax?" he asked, catching her searching the surroundings again. "I mean, you've run a scan right? No threats?"

"No threats," she confirmed, finally complying and laying back on the sand as well. Their proximity reminded him of the time she'd come into his bedroom in the past, trying to convince him to leave Riley. Back then he'd been conflicted with his emotions, had been too scared to do anything about them. So he'd brushed her off, made up an excuse. He'd heard her reluctant sigh as she had gotten up. Now, he realized, was a chance to do things properly.

"This is as normal as it's probably ever gonna get for us again," he remarked, thinking about the vast ocean. Somewhere out there, the _Carter _was on its way back with something that could change the course of the war.

Cameron turned her head towards his and he matched her movement, shifting so he was laying on his side, looking down at her. "Can't we just be normal for a while?" he asked. "For an hour? Not human and cyborg, not man and machine. Not General, not Connor, not leader of mankind and his protector." His voice softened. "Just… John and Cameron." He leaned down and kissed her gently, whispering against her lips, "Can we do that please?"

"Yes," she replied with a small smile of her own. "We can do that. Just John and Cameron."

He kissed her again, the soft crashing of the waves in his ears, the warm breeze on his neck. He knew the moment couldn't last forever, much as he wished it would. They could be normal for an hour or so, just like he had said, then it would be back to the war, back to their daily lives in the fight against the machines.

But for now, John let all thoughts of Skynet, and the machines, and the _Jimmy Carter _leave his mind. Nothing else mattered right now. Just him and Cameron. Just their one moment of being normal. But to John, that one moment was more than enough.

And it was perfect.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: [Yelkov attempts to contact the Carter] YELKOV: Zere iz nothing to connect to. JOHN: What does that mean? YELKOV: It means zere iz no Jimmy Carter. JESSE: Where's Derek? CAMERON: That information is classified. JESSE: Between you and Connor? You owe me the truth. [Cameron stares at her.] _


	48. Born to Escape

_Previously on Born to Fight: [The liquid metal rises from the box and kills Goodnow] DIETZE: I told you! This is what happens! This is what they do! [At SRD] KRISTIN: Skynet stole their new weapon, some kind of liquid metal Terminator named Patrick. That and the shipment of Halypsion metal. LOPEZ: All I need is coltan. JOHN: Coltan's rare. I doubt we can find any just stashed away somewhere. CAMERON: Yes, we can. There's a whole truckload at the bottom of the ocean. JOHN: Carter's stockpile! JESSE: Stand down, Dietze. DIETZE: I knew you were a metal-lover. But maybe you're more than that. [Queeg pulls Dietze off Jesse and smashes his face into the wall.] _

**Chapter Forty Eight:**

**Born to Escape**

**_U.S.S. Jimmy Carter_**

**Mess Hall**

Jesse pushed the chair back into place against the table, moving almost unconsciously. Dietze's body was gone. The crew had dispersed. Queeg was back up on the command deck. She had remained there on the floor until everyone else had left, trying to come up with an explanation for what had just happened.

Queeg had been trying to protect her. But if he had simply told them the truth to begin with, they would never have been in this position. Dietze would never have gone off the deep end.

She slid the last chair against the table. The room was back to normal now, tables and chairs righted and put back in place. Everything was as it was… except for the dark red blood smear on the wall where Dietze's face had smashed into it.

No… where _Queeg_ had smashed Dietze's face into it.

She heard footsteps at the door, soft and hesitant. "Commander?" It was Garvin's voice. She didn't have time or energy to deal with him right now.

"You got some place to be."

Garvin was quick to reply, "Yeah. Yes, ma'am. I guess I do." Another pause. "I just wanted to say thank you. And I'm sorry."

She turned around, staring at him. "You're sorry?" she repeated. "What have you got to be sorry about?"

"I shouldn't have let Dietze get to me," he replied. "I shouldn't have reacted like that." She could tell by the tone of his voice that he truly felt bad, genuinely disturbed by the circumstances. "I liked him."

Jesse turned back around, hiding the pain in her eyes. "Yeah, me too." Garvin remained for a few seconds before he turned and headed back the way he had come. Jesse took a deep breath. If there was ever a time to exhibit her authority on this ship it was now.

She needed to talk to Queeg.

A few minutes later, Jesse stepped quietly into the command deck. Everyone else had returned to their duty stations as Queeg had ordered, with the machine himself back at the helm. He looked over impassively when she entered.

"You look ill," he remarked.

"I'm fine." Sore, but fine. The beating had given her several bruises, but beyond that, she didn't feel like anything was wrong. Nothing… besides the fact that Dietze was dead.

Killed.

"Most likely a concussion," Queeg stated. "You require medical attention. Rest."

Jesse frowned. "What about Dietze?" She half-expected him to point out that Dietze did not need medical attention since he was dead. But he had obviously understood her real question.

"Dietze attempted to murder a superior officer," Queeg replied calmly. "He incited the crew to riot, possibly mutiny. The penalty is death."

She closed her eyes, shaking her head. _No. Not here it isn't. _"You have no right to impose summary justice. Not like that." Not murder. Killing someone for disobeying wasn't something Connor had ever approved of. He'd let Dietze live even after Dietze had almost killed him and Cameron. Killing Dietze for attacking her… Maybe the machines believed in that form of justice, but not John Connor.

Not Jesse Flores.

"That's not how we do it," she added quietly.

"Mr. Dietze's behavior threatened our mission."

"What mission?" she demanded. "Hmm?" Why couldn't Queeg understand that no one knew what this mission was? How could they continue to function after all that had happened? Everything had spawned from Queeg's actions or lack thereof. He hadn't told them what was in the box. As a result, Dietze had opened it to see for himself, and Goodnow was dead. Queeg had refused to tell them what that metal monster was. As a result, Dietze and the others had grown jittery, violent. And Queeg had killed Dietze. If anyone was to blame here, it wasn't Dietze.

"_Your_ behavior threatens our mission," she shot back. "This crew's tearing itself apart."

"If they needed to know more they would have been told more," Queeg replied.

_By who? John Connor? _She was sure if Connor was here, he would have told them exactly what was going on. Because he was a human and he could understand. She just had to _make _Queeg understand the same thing.

"Whatever we brought aboard this ship," she began. "It is _dangerous_. It _killed_ a woman. It _took_ her _shape_." She shook her head. "You can't expect us to act like that didn't happen. Like we didn't see it."

"Report to your rack, you're ill," Queeg interrupted crisply.

Jesse pursed her lips. "You really wanna do it this way?"

"I don't understand. Do what?"

She straightened up, out of the corner of her eye seeing Garvin do the same, backing her up, obviously knowing what was coming. Jesse leveled her gaze on Queeg. "As XO and ranking human on board this boat, I am relieving you of command. On suspicion of compromise to your programming. Please move away from the controls, _Captain_."

For a moment nothing happened. Queeg just kept staring straight ahead, but finally he released his grip on the controls and stood up, walking around his chair to stand in front of her, his face impassive.

"Submit to chip extraction," she continued. "The chip tech will decide what to do." Queeg took a few more steps toward her, his human-like eyes boring into hers.

She remembered her conversation with John Connor when he had first shown off his reprogrammed Triple 8s. He'd told them the orders that the machines were programmed to follow.

_Does that always work?_

_Yes._

Queeg shifted his attention to the Chief. "Chief of the boat, escort Commander Flores to her rack. She's ill."

Jesse's brow furrowed. Both Chief and Garvin looked to her, their eyes wide with confusion and apprehension.

"I gave you an instruction, captain," Jesse repeated. "You must comply."

_Does that always work?_

_Yes._

But it wasn't working. Not for Queeg. For some reason. "My mission order overrides standard behavior protocols. You have no authority on this boat."

Jesse's lips parted. "Let me see your orders, now."

"My orders are classified," Queeg replied. _Convenient, _Jesse thought, pursing her lips. She suddenly thought of Dietze. What would he say in this situation? If they couldn't even see Queeg's orders, how are they to know that they truly are from John Connor? How do they know this isn't a trick?

"You look ill," Queeg repeated.

Jesse looked away, her mind racing. This couldn't be happening. Queeg had to understand… "Queeg… We can't take that thing to Serrano Point. Connor needs to know what it can do--."

"John Connor knows what he needs to know," Queeg stated firmly. "Return to your rack. Your behavior threatens our mission."

All eyes were on her, waiting to see what she would do. Jesse steeled herself. There was no way she was leaving Queeg in command, no way they were taking that thing to Serrano. Queeg could not be allowed to do this, not here, not on her ship.

She turned and started for the door, purposely keeping her eyes averted from her plasma rifle that lay propped against the doorway. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Queeg turn away, ready to reassume command of the controls.

_Do it!_

She grabbed her rifle, bringing it up and quickly charging it. Queeg turned around at the sound, giving her the perfect shot.

_Aim for the chip. Aim for the chip they don't get up._

The blast rocketed out of the barrel of her rifle, the bluish bolt impacting with the side of Queeg's head. Bullseye.

She lowered the rifle, her eyes on Queeg's body that had collapsed to the ground. She felt a flash of remorse, regret, but she knew this had been necessary. Something was wrong with Queeg. He'd made a mistake. And unfortunately, summary justice in this case had to be death. There was no other option.

"Chief of the boat," she addressed, hooking her plasma rifle over her shoulder. "Record that I have relieved the captain and assumed command. Time and day."

Chief looked shell-shocked. "We can't drive the boat without him!"

"We're not _driving_ the boat," she retorted, shoving the controls all the way down. But simply taking the boat to crush depth wasn't enough. That thing out there was a machine, which means it could probably drive this thing. So they needed to prevent its escape as well.

She smashed her plasma rifle into the control panels, sending sparks shooting up from the console.

"Commander Flores!" the Chief's voice was horrified and appalled, no doubt questioning her sanity. Jesse ignored him for the moment, continuing to render the control panels useless. Alarms began blaring and red lights began flashing.

"We're taking her to crush depth," Jesse reported. "Mother nature will handle the metal." She could feel the _Carter _descending to the depths. They had five minutes until they hit crush depth, maybe less. She grabbed the phone. "Attention all decks. Abandon the boat."

Garvin and Chief still looked stunned. "Move!" she ordered. "Move!" As the two rushed to join the other sailors that were all rushing to board the ASDS, Jesse walked over to where Queeg lay.

She could almost hear Derek's voice in her head. _He's not a bloke. Jesse, he's not on our side. _

But he had been. At one point. And he had saved her life, and the life of her mother, and everyone else trapped inside the Perth bunker. They'd gotten along, they'd been a team.

She reached down and closed his remaining eye, whispering, "I'm sorry."

She retreated out of the command deck towards the ASDS, seeing Chief herding in the remaining sailors. As the rest of the crew got on board, she glanced around. Where was that thing? Would it try to get on? Had it managed to sneak on already?

"You okay?" Chief asked.

"Just get in there," Jesse ordered.

He started up the stairs into the ASDS, turning around and regarding her suspiciously. "You're coming, right? Not going down with the ship or anything crazy like that?"

"No," she replied, listening as his footsteps continued up into the mini sub. "Nothing crazy." She turned to follow him, suddenly stopping cold. She'd often heard others talk about a certain feeling they got when they knew they were being watched. A sixth sense. She knew now what they were talking about. It was like a chill of fear went snaking down her spine and she just _knew _something was behind her.

She whipped her head around, coming face to face with Goodnow, with the metal monster that had stolen her shape. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly under the machine's cool glare. "What do you want?"

"Tell John Connor," the metal began, "the answer is no."

Its form changed silver again and it shot up somewhere into the ceiling. Jesse backed away towards the stairs, stumbling once as she scrambled up and into the ASDS, closing the door behind her.

"Take off!" she ordered. They had to be approaching crush depth. She felt the lurch as the ASDS lifted out of the _Carter_'s hatch, rising straight up. Garvin was at the sonar, ready to report when the _Carter _reached crush depth.

But he didn't need to.

They all felt it the moment the _Carter _imploded from pressure. The shockwave it sent out washed over the ASDS. It wasn't very big, not big enough to shake them up, but they felt it.

And Jesse knew that it was done. The _Carter_, her second home, was destroyed. Queeg, the machine that had betrayed her, was gone. Hopefully the metal monster he wanted them to take to Serrano was gone too. But she wasn't focused on that.

Because they'd lost two sailors on this mission. What had started out as simple supply run to Perth, had turned into a mission that would forever change the lives of everyone on the _Carter. _

They both hadn't just died. They'd been killed, murdered.

By metal.

When she weighed the losses, it suddenly seemed bleak.

Somehow, their escape didn't mean so much.

***************

**Serrano Point**

**Entrance**

John followed behind Cameron as she carried the huge load of coltan effortlessly into Serrano Point. Lopez was waiting, grinning when he saw the coltan.

"You did it!" he exclaimed.

John gestured to the metal. "So you can make that ironman suit now?"

Lopez nodded and bent down near the stack. "I'll get right on it." He started to lift the crate, unable to budge it. He sheepishly rose to his feet and looked to Cameron. "Little help?"

Cameron picked up the coltan again and followed Lopez toward his new research station. John headed to the radio room, finding Yelkov inside, monitoring the radio frequencies.

"Any word from the _Carter _yet?" he asked. He'd half-expected them to be back already.

"One moment," Yelkov said, holding up a finger and turning the radio to the _Carter's _frequency. "_Jimmy Carter, _this iz Serrano Point. Over."

As John watched, Yelkov frowned and his eyes narrowed. "_Jimmy Carter? _This iz Serrano Point, over."

He began checking the radio system quickly and John felt an uneasiness settle over him. "What's wrong?" he asked. "They're not answering? You can't get a connection?"

"Zere is nothing to connect to," Yelkov replied. "Zere is no signature in ze water. None."

John's brow furrowed. Nothing to connect to? That wasn't possible. They were out there somewhere, on their way back with the cargo. They _had _to be. He needed that package.

"What does that mean?" he asked.

Yelkov swiveled in his seat to face John, his face etched with worry and his voice deadly serious.

"It means… zere is no _Jimmy Carter_."

*****************

**Deep Ocean**

**ASDS**

_The Carter is gone, _Jesse thought, sitting inside the ASDS, staring at the wall. _Queeg is gone, the package is gone. Dietze and Goodnow are gone. And for what? _

She saw Garvin stir from his post at the sonar. He glanced her way, appearing to hesitate before speaking up, "Commander, listen, I—."

"Shut up, Garvin," Jesse murmured.

Garvin's face flushed. "Look, I'm trying to apologize! For my part in the fight, for what happened."

"You already apologized," she retorted.

"Yeah, but you never accepted it," he shot back. "For all I know, you were barely listening to me." She sighed. It was no use being angry with him or anyone for that matter. "It's not your fault."

"But if I hadn't reacted to Dietze…" Garvin protested.

"Garvin," she said sharply, turning to face him. "It's not your fault. We were all on edge. And who wouldn't be? With that thing out there…"

A silence fell between them until Garvin asked, "Is it dead?"

"I don't know," she replied. "It was still on the sub."

It could probably survive. Or it had another way off. It had to have escaped the _Carter _somehow. Otherwise, it wouldn't have retreated to the upper deck. It would have blown past her and onto the ASDS to escape. It would have killed her, took her form and loaded up. And the rest of the crew would never have been any wiser. But it hadn't. So it must have known another way off.

It was still out there.

"How much longer?" she found herself asking.

Chief checked the map. "A few hours, maybe. This thing doesn't travel as fast as the sub. We're lucky we were this close, otherwise the power cell may not have held out."

_One good thing, _she thought.

For the next few hours, hardly a word was spoken. Everyone seemed to be in shock from everything that had transpired. Jesse herself was still tortured with images permanently etched in her mind. The metal monster with its silver appendage pierced through Goodnow's body. Dietze's lifeless body. Queeg lying on the ground with half his face blow off from her plasma blast. And that thing… with Goodnow's face, giving her the message for John Connor.

When they finally docked at Goldfish, a crew was waiting to bring them to Serrano. Chief had briefed Major Perry about the loss of _Carter _and the crew members and the package. He'd been disappointed in their failure to bring back the cargo, but he seemed to understand the air of sorrow that was hanging over them all.

As soon as she arrived back in Serrano, she and the other sailors were taken to the medical wing to get checked over, standard protocol after a mission. After the checks were completed, as Jesse sat numbly on the edge of the bunk, Cameron had shown up in tent, looking for a report of the incident. Jesse had vaguely related the events, but she was distracted. Where was Connor? Why wasn't he hearing this for himself? The message was for him, not his metal companion.

"I've told you…" she muttered.

"You've told me nothing useful," Cameron replied. "Your actions have resulted in the loss of a T-Triple 8 and one of our most important strategic assets. The submarine is irreplaceable."

Jesse knew that, of course. When the _Seawolf _was destroyed, the _Carter h_ad become that much more valuable. But it wasn't all they had lost on this mission. "The Trip8, the sub… You forgot the people. You never mention the people who died. Ever."

"Yes," Cameron agreed. "The people. And the box."

"We opened the box!" Jesse protested. "Hell came out of it! How many times do we need to go over this?"

"Until you give me the answer."

Jesse shook her head. No. She wasn't trusting metal with this. Not after what she'd just been through. "Not you. Take me to Connor."

"You can tell me," Cameron said with a sickly sweet smile.

Jesse shook her head again. "No," she replied, watching as Cameron's smile slowly faded. "The liquid metal thing inside the box, it came to me before we escaped. And it gave me a message for John Connor. For him. Not for you."

Cameron appeared to be considering that and Jesse expected her to leave and come back with Connor. Instead, the machine insisted, "Telling me is the same as telling John."

Jesse's lips parted as she processed that. _What? _An incredulous laugh escaped her lips. Had she really just said that? Telling a machine was the same as telling the leader of mankind? Did Cameron really think she was Connor's equal?

_Connor's so into his big chess match with Skynet that he doesn't even see how the tin cans got us right where they want us! Metal on every base, running the show in all but name._

"Dietze was right," she whispered. "Who's running this war?" she demanded, her voice rising. "What are we fighting for if telling _you_ is the same thing as telling Connor? You're a machine! You're not the same, it's not the same!" Jesse's face was flushed with anger, but Cameron hadn't reacted to her harsh words. "Fine," Jesse muttered. "You tell John Connor that the metal monster said the answer is no."

She saw something flit across the cyborg's face and Jesse's eyes squinted. "What does that mean, huh?" Cameron remained silent and Jesse repeated, louder, "Hey, tell me! If the answer is no, what was the question?"

"'Will you join us?'" Cameron replied.

Jesse felt the shock on her face. "What?"

"That was the question," Cameron repeated. "'Will you join us.'"

Jesse slowly looked away, her eyebrows knit together in confusion. What did it mean? Will you join us? Connor was _asking _the machines to join him? Not reprogramming, but giving them the option? Working _with _them? It didn't make sense. It was crazy. It was insane…

"I'm sorry for your loss."

She hadn't even noticed that Cameron had retreated and was now standing near the tent's entrance. For a moment, she wondered if Cameron was referring to the loss of Dietze and Goodnow. What other loss was there?

"The doctors aren't certain if it happened because of the fight or because of the rapid change in pressure when you scuttled the Carter."

Jesse's face twisted in confusion. What was she talking about?

"You were pregnant," Cameron stated. "And now you aren't."

For a moment Jesse couldn't breathe. She felt a hot tear run down her cheek and she turned away, not wanting the machine to see her cry. She heard the cyborg brush through the tent's entrance, her last words still hanging in Jesse's mind.

_You were pregnant. And now you aren't. _

Jesse squeezed her eyes shut against the tears. _Oh, Derek... _She needed him so badly right now. She needed to find him, needed to know if he was back from his mission yet.

She left the medical wing in a rush, not meeting anyone's eyes. Instead, she reached Derek's bunkroom, finding it empty. There was no sign that he was back yet. Kristin Hamilton passed by in the hallway and Jesse quickly poked her head out the door, making sure her eyes were dry before calling, "Hammy!"

Kristin turned around, waiting.

"Derek," Jesse managed to get out. She swallowed hard before starting again. "Has Derek come back yet? Have you seen him?"

Kristin gave a helpless shrug. "Haven't seen him since the day you shipped out. We were told he was sent on some top secret mission, but no one has heard back from him yet."

Jesse forced herself to nod and smile, thanking Kristin for the information. As soon as the other soldier was gone, though, Jesse leaned her head back against the wall, squeezing her eyes shut. Where was Derek? Why had their baby died?

Why was everything falling apart?

Her eyes snapped open.

_Connor. _If anyone knew where Derek was, it was Connor. Connor would have been the one to send Derek on that mission, so he knew what it was and when he'd be back from it.

She could only hope it was soon. She had never needed him so badly.

As she turned down the hallway leading to Connor's private quarters, she noticed Cameron walking up to his door. The cyborg looked up when she heard Jesse in the tunnel, watching impassively as the soldier approached.

"You again," Jesse said hoarsely. "What are you doing here? Going to spend some quality time with Connor?" She wasn't faking the bitterness in her tone.

"Yes," Cameron replied. "I'm going to see John."

"John," Jesse repeated with a dry smile. "Right." That's what Derek had always hated too. Everyone else referred to him as "Connor" or "General." Not Cameron. Cameron called him "John."

Cameron turned away and Jesse stopped her. "Hey!" Maybe Cameron would know where Derek was. If she was so close to Connor, then he was sure to have let her in on his mission plans.

"Where's Derek?" she asked. "What happened to him?"

"Derek went on a mission for John Connor," Cameron replied.

"Yes, I know that," Jesse said impatiently. "What kind of mission? Where is he?"

"He's on a mission," Cameron repeated, finality in her voice. "The information is classified."

"Classified," Jesse said stonily. Just like Queeg. "Between who? You and Connor?"

"It's classified on a need to know basis."

_I need to know!_ Jesse wanted to shout. Instead she lowered her voice. "Listen, you owe me the truth. You've already made me lose my child…"

Cameron seemed indignant at the misplaced accusation. "I was not responsible for your miscarriage. If you had followed your orders and if Dietze had followed his, it would still be alive."

"But would Derek?" Jesse protested. "Please. I _need _to know." Cameron remained silent and Jesse decided to play one last desperate card. She knew what went on between John and Cameron. She'd seen the tapes. If this tactic was to work with any machine, it would be with Cameron.

"What if it were you?" she asked. "I've seen you two together. You claim to care about Connor. What if he never came back from a mission? What if no one would tell you what happened? Wouldn't you need to know what had happened to him? Wouldn't you do your best to find out, classified or not?"

Cameron had seemed to be deep in thought, but she remained silent. Jesse scoffed, shaking her head. "I'm wasting my time. You're just a machine. This means nothing to you."

She turned to leave, hearing Cameron's voice call from behind her. "John Connor built a secret weapon. The time displacement equipment."

Jesse turned back around, frowning. "What does that have to do with--?"

"It's a time machine," Cameron explained. "Derek Reese traveled back in time to 2007."

Back in time? "Why?"

"His mission was to set up a safehouse and gather intel to help hunt Skynet," Cameron explained. "He will join Sarah and John Connor as they attempt to fight Skynet in the past."

How long would that take? How long was this mission supposed to last? She was about to ask when she realized there was an even more pressing matter. The time machine was in the future, right? There hadn't been one in the past. So…

"...how will he get back?" she asked.

Cameron didn't blink, keeping her eyes locked calmly on Jesse's. "He won't."

Jesse felt a cold numbness wash over her entire body and she felt herself stumbling away, unable to think. Vaguely, she could hear Cameron's soft, "I'm sorry," but she was no longer paying attention.

Nothing would be the same after this point.

She'd been through too much. To have witnessed a monster on the ship be unleashed and kill Goodnow. To have been betrayed by her friend and partner, Queeg. To have seen Dietze die at the hands of that very machine. To have been forced to abandon her second home, the _Carter, _to the depths.

And now.

Learning that not only had she miscarried her and Derek's first child, but she also would never get to see him again…

It was too much for any person to take.

Nothing would ever be the same again. She may have escaped the _Carter's _destruction.

But it certainly didn't feel that way now.

***************

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

John looked up from his desk when Cameron entered. "Was that Jesse?" he asked. He could have sworn he'd heard their voices outside.

"Yes," Cameron replied. "I told her about Derek."

"That information was classified," John replied. "On a need to know basis."

"I know," Cameron replied. "She needed to know."

John nodded his approval. At least she acknowledged that much. He turned around to face her completely, waiting for her to continue.

"You've heard the report?" she asked.

John nodded stiffly. "Yes."

"Then you know that the contents of the box was lost," Cameron reported. "As well as the _Carter_."

"And the people," he added.

Cameron seemed to react to that. "Yes. Jesse said that too. She said I never mention the people."

"Do you?" John prodded.

Cameron was silent for a moment. "Which people?"

John raised an eyebrow. She'd received the report, right? "Goodnow and Dietze. They were killed."

"I know," Cameron stated. "But Dietze hated us. His hatred compromised the mission. He was a threat to you. He deserved to die."

John's face twisted. "Did he? Is that for you to decide? Is it for _me_ to decide? How can we decide who deserves to die? Didn't Dietze have a greater purpose than that?"

Cameron glanced away. "All human life is important."

She'd heard that from Ellison. Or maybe John Henry. "Yes," he agreed. "Even Dietze. He was a human being and therefore he didn't deserve to die the way he did. He made mistakes, yes, but that's what makes us human. We make mistakes…" _Even machines make mistakes, _he reminded himself. "And Queeg… do you think he did the right thing?"

Cameron looked thoughtful. "Yes. But he did it the wrong way."

John frowned. "Explain?"

"He had to break up the fight but he didn't have to kill Dietze," Cameron replied.

"Do you agree with his keeping information from Jesse?"

"That was his mission," Cameron replied. "But his behavior is what caused the mutiny. If he hadn't killed Dietze, if he hadn't compromised his position with Jesse, he would still be alive. We would have the box, the submarine, and the people."

He cracked a smile. She had remembered to mention it that time. "How would you have done it?"

"I would have explained to Jesse what the mission was," Cameron said confidently.

"But the orders were classified," John argued. "I classified them."

"On a need to know basis," Cameron reiterated. "Don't you think Jesse needed to know?"

"Do you?" he countered, crossing his arms. She needed this. She needed to be able to understand for herself why Queeg had failed, why his actions had alienated his crew and caused the riot and the mutiny.

"If she knew," Cameron began. "She would have understood."

"So you think it would be okay for Queeg to have gone against his orders and revealed precious information?"

There was no hesitation this time. "Yes. He was programmed to protect humans. You programmed him to do that. If an order threatens the safety of a human, he should have disobeyed that order. Going against orders would have saved lives."

He gave her a soft smile. "Good. You understand that. You're more advanced than Queeg was. He was just reprogrammed, but you chose this."

"Yes," she agreed.

He pressed on. "Queeg couldn't truly think, couldn't know that his behavior threatened the mission. He didn't understand how humans thought. He didn't understand that Jesse needed to know."

"But I do."

"Yes," he repeated. "You do." He hesitated. "How was she? When you told her?"

"She was very angry," Cameron said vaguely. "And then she was quiet. It's possible she was in shock from all the events."

John couldn't blame her. After the disaster on the _Carter_, she'd been given even more devastating news. News of her miscarriage and of Derek's one way trip to the past.

Both delivered by Cameron.

Jesse had already been scarred by Queeg, by the way he had, in her mind, betrayed her. One time, he had wondered when the change had started. When she would go from being so loyal and trusting of him to wanting to kill Cameron in the past.

Now, he already knew.

The Jesse he had known, the Jesse who was loyal to him was gone. She'd been broken, changed. It had started as soon as Queeg had betrayed her trust, as soon as Dietze had been killed. It had ended as soon as she got the news that both her baby and Derek were gone forever. Right then, something had snapped.

The rest of the _Carter _crew may have escaped, but he knew this for sure:

Jesse Flores hadn't.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: JOHN: We have to get that metal back. [Cameron holds a Gray up by his neck] CAMERON: Tell us where it is. JOHN: We need him. CAMERON: No, we don't. [John locks eyes with the Gray] JOHN: You're right. Kill him. [Cameron glances over at John.] [John opens the metal crate. He, Cameron, Cody, and Nathan turn to the door. A TX blocks their exit.]_


	49. Born to Be Strong

_Previously on Born to Fight:_ _KRISTIN: Skynet stole their new weapon, some kind of liquid metal Terminator named Patrick. BLAIR: Skynet has it now? KRISTIN: Yeah, that and the shipment of Halypsion metal you dropped off from Serenity. CAMERON: You can't let Skynet get that metal. If they do… they'll win._

**Chapter Forty Nine:**

**Born to Be Strong**

**Serrano Point**

**September 21, 2027**

John paced back and forth in front of Cameron, Weaver, and Lopez, his brow furrowed in concentration. The loss of the _Carter_'s package was a crushing blow, no doubt. Coupled with the theft of the Halypsion metal and Patrick from SRD, he was beginning to think that Skynet was pulling ahead.

"What do we do now?" Lopez asked, his tone grave.

John shook his head. "I don't know. We really needed that T-1001."

"You have it." Weaver's voice startled him out of his gloomy thoughts.

"What?" he asked with a curious frown.

"The T-1001. She is already on your side."

"_She_? How do you…?" He trailed off, his eyes widening in realization. "It's you! _You're _the T-1001!" He'd known that Weaver was a liquid metal. He'd just never made the connection. "But… you said 'no'."

"Correct," she replied with a mysterious smile. "But for a good reason."

His frown deepened. What kind of good reason was there for turning down his offer? "What do you mean? Why wouldn't you – your younger self – join us?"

"Andy Goode created the Turk," she began. The apparent change in subject caught John off guard, but he nodded, narrowing his eyebrows.

"Um, yes, but--."

"But who created John Henry?" Weaver finished.

Finally John's face lit up in realization. "You did!" he exclaimed, the pieces clicking together in his mind. He cast a sideways glance at Cameron, muttering, "And I thought _your _existence was complicated." His gaze shifted back to Weaver. "You _had _to say no. Because you have to go back in time to create John Henry so that _you _are created when his and Skynet's codes combine."

"Correct."

"So it's not like the T-1001 joined Skynet, then," Lopez put in, seemingly in a happier mood. "They didn't take that advantage from us."

"They still stole the Halypsion shipment," Cameron pointed out.

John's face fell. That did put a damper on his mood. If Skynet could utilize that metal, if they could use the stolen Patrick Terminator to reverse engineer their own T-1000s… the Resistance would be faced with a serious disadvantage.

"Based on that amount of Halypsion," he began slowly. "How many T-1000s could Skynet make?"

Cameron answered first. "The _Serenity _shipment was not a huge volume of Halypsion metal. Skynet could create approximately ten units, if that."

"So it won't be too big a blow," Lopez said, his tone suggesting relief. "We have two T-1000s, plus Weaver here. So it won't give them too much of an advantage right?"

John frowned deeply. Lopez was right. Having a few extra liquid metals wouldn't help Skynet all that much. It didn't give them the big advantage he knew they wanted. There had to be something else, a twist. Skynet would plan something else, something that _would _destroy the Resistance.

Lopez seemed uncomfortable with the sudden silence. "We'll be even," he repeated hesitantly. "Won't we?"

"No," John realized. "We won't."

Lopez looked uneasy, as if he realized that John might know something he didn't. "What do you mean?"

John completely ignored him, turning his attention to Weaver urgently. "Skynet's T-X, the one that attacked me in Skynet Central…"

"Terminatrix?" Cameron asked.

John turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "You know of it?"

"I have detailed records of all Skynet's past models," Cameron replied. "They were creating a TX prototype, but the factory was destroyed by John Connor."

John couldn't resist a grin. "Some of my finest handiwork," he admitted. He quickly turned serious. "Yeah, the Terminatrix. What about those? Those are liquid metal too, right? Halypsion sheaths? That wouldn't use up as much metal as creating a full liquid metal T-1000s. So how many T-Xs could Skynet make?"

"If they make ten T-1000s," Cameron began. "With a T-X they could make… at least three times that amount."

"Thirty?" John swallowed hard, his mouth dry. Thirty units. Enough for a Terminatrix army. His breath came out in a whoosh. "That's what they'll do," he concluded. The T-X he encountered inside Skynet Central hadn't even been the real thing. It had been a prototype, just like Cameron had said. But even so, it would have killed him if Weaver hadn't been able to ambush it. If Skynet created an entire mini army of T-Xs… there was no way the Resistance could counter that. Even if Lopez made his ironman suits, even if he had Weaver and the other two T-1000s… even with John Henry's rogue Terminators and Cameron… a T-X would be a deadly match.

If Skynet made thirty T-X models, it would be over.

So there was only one thing to do.

He looked up into Cameron's eyes, his face completely serious.

"We have to get that metal back."

**************

**Gray Base**

Alex Castle watched with satisfaction as the two Terminators brought in the shipment of Halypsion metal and the captured T-1000. The liquid metal Terminator, which had been called "Patrick" by the SRD scientists was trapped in its transport box, which was the only reason why the Kraken crew had been able to steal it. Apparently the scientists had been in the middle of working on it when the Terminators had ambushed.

_Lucky for us, _Alex thought with a smug smile. All he needed to do was plug that box into his computer and reprogram the T-1000's code. Skynet had already told him that he would be reverse engineering the liquid metal as well as reprogramming the hostage Terminator.

After working for a few hours, though, he began to feel apprehensive. He'd been able to reverse the T-1000's code with little difficulty, thus making it a loyal and obedient servant to Skynet, but the more he observed the thing, the more he realized that it took a _lot _of Halypsion metal to create one of those things. He was nervous about speaking with Skynet about the issue, but there was no way that the amount of metal in the stolen shipment would be enough to create the huge elite force they'd anticipated.

The computer screen blinked on as soon as he entered the room, words scrolling across the screen: WELCOME ALEX CASTLE.

"Hello," Alex said, shifting uncomfortably. As weird as it felt talking to a computer screen, he also felt honored. Ever since head engineer Michael Logan had suddenly switched allegiances and joined the Resistance, Alex had received a sudden promotion.

Which meant he got to communicate with Skynet face to face.

Well, face to screen at least.

"There's a slight… um… _complication,_" he admitted.

The screen remained blank, waiting for him to elaborate.

Alex cleared his throat uneasily. "The metal the Kraken crew stole from the SRD… it's not a huge amount. We can't make the number of units you wanted."

HOW MANY? The words flashed on the screen.

"Ten? Maybe?"

TEN T-1000s.

"Yes," Alex agreed. Wasn't that the only thing they were talking about?

DON'T BUILD T-1000s

Alex frowned, cocking an eyebrow as he tried to make sense of Skynet's proposal. No T-1000s? Wasn't that what Skynet had wanted? Liquid metal? "Then what?" he asked.

Several other monitors blinked on, showing schematics and drawings and records of something else. Something different. Alex stepped closer, squinting as he observed the outline on the screen. It was a Terminator model that used Halypsion metal… but only as a sheath. Underneath the layer of liquid metal was a unique endoskeleton equipped with built in weapons of all kinds.

"What is this?" he breathed. It was ingenious!

THE TERMINATRIX.

Sure enough, Alex saw the T-X label on the layout sketches. Skynet had started work on these before, back before its resurrection. But there hadn't been enough Halypsion at the time and only one model had been completed. John Connor had blown up the entire factory, halting that process and putting the T-X assembly on hold. Even so, those units (the completed one at least) had merely been a prototype. This new version looked faster, stronger, more complex…

Deadlier.

CREATE THIS.

Skynet's order seemed final even as mere words on a screen. And Alex could see the logic. The T-X, with only the Halypsion sheath, was easier to produce. He could easily build around thirty of those units.

The Resistance would be finished.

"Yes…" he began, trailing off. Having never addressed Skynet itself before, he was unsure of what to call it. Saying "Sir" sounded too weird, and possibly insulting to Skynet, being compared to humans in such a way. "…Skynet," he finished in the safest way possible.

The screen remained blank and Alex figured that was his cue to leave, that Skynet had already dismissed him. He hurried out of the computer room and back to the lab where he would help spearhead the process to create the new T-X units.

Finally, Skynet would triumph over the Resistance. John Connor may have captured and reprogrammed machines to fight for him. He may have utilized SRD's T-1000s. He may have earned the respect and loyalty of the rogues. Up till now, John Connor had kept the Resistance one step ahead of Skynet, never allowing it to defeat him.

_Well, not anymore, _Alex thought with a smug grin.

Now, John Connor and his resistance would meet their match.

This time, John Connor would meet his end.

************

**Serrano Point**

John left Cameron and Weaver in charge of the preparations for the assault on the Gray Base. Captain Reynolds had already volunteered to fly the helicopter and Lopez had wanted to come along, saying that his technical advice might be needed.

But there was one other person whose help John could use.

Savannah was sitting across from John Henry with Ellison seated a few feet away, a Bible in one hand. They seemed to be in the middle of a discussion, but John stepped in anyway. This was important.

"Hey," he said, nodding to John Henry. "I need your help."

"You are attempting to steal back the metal from the Gray base," John Henry stated as a fact, not a question.

"Yeah," John agreed.

John Henry looked over at Ellison. "Mr. Ellison has been teaching me that stealing is wrong. It's one of the ten commandments."

John squinted, casting a quick look at Ellison. "They stole it from us. We're just taking it back."

"An eye for an eye," John Henry added.

"Sure," John replied. "Listen, I just need your help. You don't even have to come with us, but could you be ready to hack into the Gray base and trigger all the marks to go off? Like you did for the ones in the Amazon?" Just as a precaution. John didn't actually _like _having to kill all the Grays with the poison mark, but they were all dead anyway. And if he and his team got cornered, it may be their only way out.

John Henry seemed less likely at accept that excuse. "The Bible also says 'Thou shalt not murder.' Murder is wrong. It is a sin."

"But you already did it," John protested. "In the Amazon."

"That was a regrettable necessity," John Henry replied. "Human life is sacred, even the lives of those Grays. What I did was murder."

"What you did was necessary," John said firmly. "You got us out of there alive."

He notice Ellison giving him a warning look as if wanting John to stop trying to confuse John Henry. John closed his mouth and looked back at John Henry, who didn't seem confused in the slightest.

"In that event," he began, referring to the Amazon escape, "you needed my assistance to survive. You don't need me this time. Ms. Weaver will help you. And so will Cameron."

At the mention of her name, John felt his face soften. "Right," he agreed. John Henry looked over at Savannah and John turned to leave. John Henry was right. Murder was murder. And it wasn't very John Connor of him to ask John Henry to go against his newfound morals and kill off the Grays in that base.

As soon as he reached the door, he heard John Henry call out behind him, "Mr. Connor. I felt that I should tell you that the TDE had been accessed."

John turned around, his face twisted into an expression of confusion. "How?" he demanded. "No one can get in there without the biometric scan…unless."

_Young Weaver, _he realized. She'd already sneaked into Serrano Point and gone through the time machine. He passed by John Henry again, heading for the machine. Once inside the chamber, he checked the log, seeing that John Henry had been right. The machine had been accessed and sent someone back in time to 2007. So Weaver's plan had already come full circle.

For a moment he felt a spike of panic. How much longer before Cameron had to do the same? Before she had to go off to protect his younger self from being killed by Cromartie?

Skynet hadn't created another time machine yet. They were no doubt working on it, but they hadn't built it yet, so maybe he still had some time. Then again, 2027 was winding down and this was the year Cameron had said she was from.

Unless she'd been lying.

He had never hoped so much that she had been lying when she said that date.

He came back out the TDE chamber, passing by John Henry's room again and hearing his name being mentioned in conversation.

"Mr. Connor," John Henry was saying. "His eyes, they change when I mention her name."

"They reflect what he's feeling," Savannah said softly.

"What is that?"

"Love."

"He loves her."

"Yes. He does."

John swallowed hard, fighting the sudden urge to go and find Cameron, to be near her. Instead, he stayed in the doorway, listening in as John Henry questioned curiously, "Why does he love her if she is a machine like me?"

"He doesn't care if she's different," Savannah replied. "He loves her for who she is."

"Is he ever angry with her?"

John raised an eyebrow. _Angry with her? _Of course they'd had the occasional argument. But he'd never stayed angry with her.

"Not that I've seen," Savannah had replied. "But even if they get angry at each other it doesn't mean they don't love each other. When people have problems, they work them out together."

John stepped into the door, drawing the trio's attention to him when he stated, "You didn't teach him the command about 'thou shalt not gossip?'"

"It's right up there with the one about not eavesdropping," Savannah retorted playfully.

John grinned. She was quick on her feet, he'd give her that.

John Henry had simply frowned at John's statement. "That's not one of the rules."

"We weren't gossiping, John," Savannah explained pointedly. "He was just—."

John held up a hand. "I know." His smile faded when he looked over at John Henry. "How do you define love?"

"Love is a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection; a strong or passionate affection for a person---."

John held up a hand cutting him off. "Not the dictionary's answer." He already knew that one. It's the answer Cameron had given him when he'd asked her the same question a long, long time ago in the past. He was sure her answer now would be different.

Would John Henry's?

"Tell me what_ you_ really think it is," he said, crossing his arms.

John Henry tried again. "Love is what happens in your eyes when I mention Cameron. Love is caring for someone even if you get angry with them."

John cocked an eyebrow and glanced over at Savannah. "Keep working."

Savannah sighed and John turned to leave.

"John!" she called, getting his attention again. "Cody would like to come with you on your next mission."

John's brow furrowed. "Cody. Why?"

"He wants to spend time with you," Savannah replied.

John shrugged. "Why?"

Savannah faltered. "You're… you're his hero."

John looked away. "…yeah. I know what that feels like." Why did everyone continue to see him that way? Didn't they know how he really was? He'd come in here looking for John Henry to remotely poison a bunch of human beings.

_Some hero, _he thought to himself.

He realized Savannah was waiting for an answer and gave a heavy sigh. "Fine. I'll let him know."

**************

**En Route to Gray Base**

John sat in between Cameron and Cody in the helicopter. Nathan was piloting and Weaver had taken the navigator's seat with Lopez was sitting right behind them.

John lowered his voice so only Cameron would here. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"What is love? To you. How would you define it?"

She looked over at him and he could almost see her eyes soften. "Love is wanting to be with someone. Wanting what is best for them. It's knowing that no one else could ever take their place. It's knowing that without that person, your life has no meaning, and you would rather die."

John winced, but his eyes still danced. "That's a little _Romeo and Juliet _don't you think."

"But it's true," she replied. And he knew it was for her. For those who didn't believe that machine could love, he knew the truth. Love wasn't just a feeling. It was exactly as she had described – wanting what was best for the other person, no matter what the cost to you. It was not selfish; it was putting the one you love before anything else.

And Cameron did that.

Which meant that Cameron could love.

"Hey, Mal," Cody asked, his voice carrying to the cockpit and shaking John from his thoughts. "How much longer?"

Captain Reynolds craned his head around slightly. "Four days," he replied.

Cody's eyes just about bugged out of his head and he opened his mouth to protest when Reynolds replied lightly, "Oh, hey, here we are."

John grabbed his plasma rifle and IFW and jumped out as soon as Reynolds had touched down inside the hanger. Weaver easily took out the two Terminators who were guarding the Gray's hanger, but besides that there was no other resistance yet.

"Let's go get this metal back," John announced. Cameron took the lead with Weaver following from the rear. They crossed the hanger and stepped into the main hallway.

"Where do you think it is?" John asked, keeping his voice low. So far, no one seemed to know they were there. No alarms were blaring, no lockdowns.

No sooner had the thought left his mind then he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and a rifle was suddenly in his face. The Gray had moved fast, but Cameron was faster, knocking the rifle out of the way and spinning it to point at the Gray's own head so quickly that John didn't even register the flash of fear at having a rifle pointed at him.

John frowned at the Gray. "Who are you?" he demanded.

The Gray looked nervous, swallowing hard, still eyeing the rifle Cameron had pointed at him. "Alex Castle…"

Nathan chuckled. "You know, I had a friend named Castle once. Wrote mystery novels. How about you? What you do around here?"

Alex hesitated. "I… I'm an engineer."

"You work for Skynet?" John asked.

"Yes. I serve Skynet."

_Serve. _Definitely a Gray then, John realized. He cast a quick look at the Gray's neck, noting the tiny black WWW on his neck. There was no use trying to talk him around. His fate was already sealed.

Nathan seemed to notice the mark as well. "You got a little something on your neck," he said, gesturing to his own neck.

Alex's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, it's the mark."

"Well, I can see it's a mark," Nathan retorted. "You trying to make a fashion statement walking around with a black blob on your neck cuz--."

"We'll tell you later," Cody interrupted.

"Where's the metal?" John demanded.

Alex's face seemed to freeze into an innocent expression. "What metal?"

Cameron glanced at John, as if making sure he realized that the Gray was lying. John's eyes narrowed as he studied Alex. "Don't play games with me. The metal you stole from us."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alex protested.

Cameron took a step forward, her icy glare penetrating straight through Alex. "Yes, you do."

Alex gave her a wary look. "You're one of them, huh? He reprogram you?"

"No. He didn't."

"So you're one of the rogues, one of the traitors to Skynet, align yourself with the Resistance, under the leadership of some pathetic kid General like –."

Cameron instantly gripped Alex by the neck and shoved him up against the wall.

"Cameron!" John shouted.

"Tell us where the metal is," she ordered Alex coldly, her grip tightening.

"Cameron, we need him," John hissed.

"No," she replied. "We don't. There are plenty of others around here that will talk."

John couldn't argue with that logic. He shrugged. "You're right. Kill him."

Alex's eyes widened in shock and Cameron looked perplexed. Nathan and Lopez looked equally stunned but the only one to voice a complaint was Alex himself.

"Wait, what?"

"You heard her," John replied, keeping his tone nonchalant. "There's plenty of others who will talk. We don't need you."

Cameron's fingers tightened and Alex choked. "Okay! Okay!" he hissed. "It's on the second level!"

"Second level," John repeated. "Is that where most of your technology is? Second level? That why there's not much security down here?"

Alex hesitated, but decided it was in his best interest to tell the truth. "Yeah," he muttered.

"Take us there," Lopez ordered.

Cameron released her grip on Alex's neck and John could see that she had left a red mark that Alex was now rubbing, coughing violently.

As the Gray started to lead them up the stairs to the second level, John dropped back to walk by Cameron. "You know why I did that?"

"It was a good bluff," Cameron replied. "Death threats can be a very effective strategy."

"Really?"

"Fear of death is good motivation to talk."

John shook his head. "That's not why I did it. I was wondering what you would do. I told you to kill him and you are a terminator. So why didn't you do it?"

Cameron paused. "It's out of character for you to order the death of a fellow human in such a way. It was probable that you were consumed by hatred and needed a moment to regain your thoughts. You would have regretted your order if I had killed him."

"Is that all?"

"He also had a purpose in life," Cameron added.

John's eyes squinted. "What was that?"

"He had valuable information for you. His life was necessary. Killing him would have been counterproductive."

"Because his life had purpose."

"Yes."

John bit his lip. "And beyond his use to me… does his life have purpose?"

She was silent before admitting, "I don't know."

"Neither do I," John agreed. "But do you think we should kill him after we get the metal? Just because he's a Gray?"

"He's going to die anyway," Cameron pointed out. "Skynet will terminate him."

"But I'm asking you," he prodded. "Do you think we should kill him?"

"No."

"And if I asked you to go over there and kill him, would you do it?"

Cameron hesitated, weighing the benefits. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because it's… wrong."

He was pretty sure she was just saying what he needed to hear, but hopefully some of this was sinking in. Hopefully this is what she would think about the next time she decided to kill needlessly.

Alex led them through to the upper level and John saw someone waiting for them in the hallway. John couldn't tell if it was human or metal.

But Lopez could.

"Patrick!" the scientist yelped.

"Who the heck is Patrick," Nathan asked. "And how is it that you know people inside the enemy's camp here?"

"Patrick is the T-1000," Cody explained hastily. "Very deadly."

"I'll hold him off," Weaver said calmly, stalking forward. "Get the metal."

John watched with horrified fascination as the two liquid metals began their attack. It was a gruesome sight. Weaver pierced through Patrick's head, but it soon melted back together. He returned the favor. John wasn't even sure how Weaver would win, unless she found a vat of molten magma or a truck of nitrogen.

"I could be wrong," Nathan spoke up. "But it seems like our hostage has run off."

John spun around, finding that Alex was indeed gone.

"Can you blame him?" Cody asked, gesturing to the gruesome stabbing war up ahead.

Nathan shrugged. "Not particularly, no."

"Let's go," John ordered, ducking into the lab, spotting a large box sitting in the middle by a bunch of supercomputers and cables.

"That's it," Lopez confirmed, even as John kicked off the lid and stared at the contents inside.

Or rather, the lack thereof.

"It's empty," he reported, grinding his teeth together in frustration.

"What?" Lopez demanded.

"It's empty," John repeated, standing up angrily. "They've used it all. Somewhere around here, they're building these things already."

Nathan scowled. "Where's that little weasel with the neck tattoo, I'm gonna give him a ---."

John looked up, meeting eyes with the female form that was standing in the doorway, blocking their exit. He recognized it immediately and felt the blood drain from his face.

"I think we have a bigger problem," he said slowly.

Everyone else turned toward the doorway to see what he was seeing. It was a face he hadn't seen since the attack on Skynet Central. It was the same face that had been on the prototype machine that had attacked him, nearly killed him.

But this one was different.

For the first time, John was looking at a full-fledged, completed T-X.

************

**Gray Base**

**Upper Level**

Cody stared at the woman in the doorway in confusion. Was she a Gray? Machine? From the horror-filled look on John's face, he concluded that maybe this was the T-X that Skynet had been planning on making, the one with the Halypsion metal sheath.

Its arm rippled and was replaced by some kind of plasma launcher. Everyone moved in an instant, diving behind cover. All except Cameron who darted forward, slamming her full body weight into the T-X and knocking it off balance.

The plasma blast burned through the ceiling and Cody winced. If that hadn't alerted the rest of the Grays on the base, then nothing would. Cameron actually appeared to have the upper hand in the hand to hand fighting. She was stronger than the T-X, but she didn't have an indestructible outer layer like the T-X did.

John was moving towards the now-open doorway, trying to make a break for it while they had the chance. Cody moved with him, seeing that Cameron had thrown the T-X into the wall, breaking out a chunk of cement in the shape of the Terminator's body.

"Get to the transport," Cameron ordered.

For a moment, Cody saw fear frozen on John's face. "I won't leave you!"

"I'll be coming right behind you!" Cameron replied, twisting the T-X's arms behind her back. The machine simply rotated its head 180 degrees and reversed its entire endoskeleton so that Cameron now only held her from the front. The other machine's leg lashed out, sending Cameron smashing into the other wall.

Cody saw the ultimate pain of indecision on John's face, but he started charging towards the stairway to the main level again. Cody knew he would die before leaving Cameron behind, so he must simply be going to start up the helicopter so they could make a quick escape.

But when Cody started to follow, he caught sight of the T-X slam Cameron's head into the wall, then activate a buzz saw on her arm. Cameron was up in a flash, but the T-X swung, the buzz saw slicing into Cameron's neck, hitting the metal underneath.

Cody almost yelped, though he knew that it hadn't really hurt her. He quickly glanced behind him. John and the others had already retreated downstairs, but Cody didn't care. Cameron was going to rejoin John if he had anything to say about it. He was still trying to think of a plan when the T-X grabbed hold of Cameron's jacket and slammed her into the wall, right into the power box. A burst of electricity shot out and Cameron flinched and dropped to the ground. Half the lights in the long hallway went out from the blown fuse. Cody squinted in the darkness to see the T-X kneel down beside Cameron's still form. The machine extended a finger, its tip turning into a tiny needle-like extension.

And Cody watched with growing horror as the T-X pushed the needle-like finger into the exposed metal on Cameron's neck, some pulsing blue dots transferring from the T-X to Cameron.

Cody lifted his plasma rifle and fired. The T-X looked up right into the shot and he watched with satisfaction as her face was blown away, revealing a blue-tinged endoskeleton skull beneath. Only moments later thought, the Halypsion metal had completely covered her again and she was stalking forward.

Cody cursed under his breath and tried to back up. His second shot did no damage at all, didn't even push her back and he threw the rifle to the side.

The T-X reached him before he expected, grabbing him by the arm in an iron-bone-breaking grip. Cody screamed in pain as she tightened her grip and suddenly he was flying through the air, smashing into a row of supercomputers in the room with the box. His head connected with one of the units and he almost blacked out, still fighting the pain in his arm.

It was broken, he knew it.

The T-X appeared in the doorway, staring down at him before starting to move forward. Cody glanced to his right, seeing the coolant pipes that were siphoning nitrogen to keep the supercomputers from overheating.

Isn't that what he'd heard? Extreme heat or extreme cold would stop the T-X? The machine was almost on him, he didn't have time to second guess. With his last remaining strength, he kicked the pipe, breaking it and redirecting the blast at the T-X.

It seemed to recognize the danger, but suddenly it was as if it couldn't move. He could see it struggle towards him, but the liquid nitrogen was slowly freezing its Halypsion metal sheath. Cody could feel the cold even though he had moved several feet away from the direct stream.

A second later, something silver pierced through the T-Xs head, shattering the metal. Cody looked to see Weaver standing there.

"What happened to Patrick?" he gasped out.

"Escaped," she said shortly.

Cody crawled over to the fallen T-X, still clutching his arm. "It's chip… John – I mean, Connor – can use it to reprogram…"

Weaver reached in through the hole she'd poked in the T-X's skull, pulling out the chip and tossing it to him. Cody caught it, staring it at in with disgust.

"What happened to it?"

"It was coated with phosphorus," Weaver explained. "It destroys the chip as soon as it touches oxygen."

"So any new Terminator that Skynet sends out," Cody began. "Whether new model or not, all will have these new chips. That means no more reprogramming."

He tossed the chip down and crushed it under his boot. It was useless now anyway. No use to John.

His thought trailed off as he thought about John, his eyes widening as he quickly brushed past Weaver and back out into the hallway.

It was completely empty, no sign of movement anyway. Cody frowned, feeling a quiet panic rise within.

Where was Cameron?

**************

**Gray Base**

**Hanger**

John cast a nervous eye near the hanger doors, waiting for Cameron, Cody, or Weaver to come through. He hadn't even noticed that Cody hadn't run with the rest of them. John didn't know if he had purposely stayed behind or had gotten cut off in the escape.

Nathan was powering up the helicopter and Lopez was already seated inside, waiting urgently.

"We should go!" he insisted. "Skynet could have already made the army of T-Xs. They could be coming this minute. We need to leave…"

"No!" John ordered. "Mal, wait! Cameron's still out there."

"Connor, leave her!" Lopez protested.

"Hold and that's an order!" John snapped.

"Not arguing with ya, kid," Nathan replied, resting his hands on the control stick. "I've grown quite fond of the girl. Cyborg," he corrected quickly.

John wasn't listening anymore. The door at the end of the hanger had opened and he sighed with relief when he saw Cameron enter. Had she beat the T-X? Stalled it?

"Cameron!" he called, taking a few steps forward.

Her walk was different, almost like a stalking walk, the same way she'd advanced on him when she'd gone bad after the jeep explosion. He frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Run, John!" she shouted. He heard a strange waver in her voice. When he didn't move, she repeated it more frantically. "John, please!"

He finally moved, hesitantly at first, casting a glance back at her. What was it? Did she want them to take off immediately? Was it following that close behind her? What was going on?

He turned to climb onto the helicopter, but suddenly he felt an iron grip on his shoulder and he was falling backwards, down onto the floor. He smacked his jaw, groaning. Suddenly he was being lifted into the air again and Cameron slammed him into the wall. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Nathan and Lopez, both disarmed at this point, looking stunned.

Cameron had him pressed up against the wall, her nine millimeter held up to his head, her finger on the trigger. And John could only stare in absolute shock.

"What are you doing?" he whispered. Was she glitching again? He'd fixed that! She had her new chip and everything!

"T-X," Cameron replied, twitching. "…compromised my systems…"

Realization dawned on him. This new T-X obviously had the ability to control other machines through nano-technology or something. And Cameron was struggling to break free.

"You're stronger than this!" he hissed. "Fight it! Cameron, you can do it! You have before!"

The tension lasted for over an entire minute, her still holding the gun to him, visibly in conflict with the little Skynet nanobots that were trying to make her pull that trigger.

"It's… too strong…" she said, her voice desperate. "Can't… I'm s-sorry, J-John…"

John couldn't take this. It wasn't her fault. If this was going to happen, she needed to know that he didn't blame her for it. He didn't want to die, didn't want to go out like this, killed by the one machine he cared the most about.

But he hated to see her in pain like this.

He carefully placed his hands over hers, moving the gun up under his chin. "It's okay," he whispered, his voice hoarse, hot tears running down his face. "It's not your fault…" He could see the conflict on her face, the struggle, and for her sake he tried to unsuccessfully stop the tears. "It's okay…"

Just when he thought she couldn't hold back any longer, he saw the tear trickle down her face. He saw her arm twitch, struggling.

But instead of pulling that trigger, she pulled her hand away, leaving him holding it at himself. John stared, slightly stunned, but he quickly dropped the gun and approached her hesitantly.

"Cameron…" he began. Her eyes seemed out of focus and he felt a pang of fear. Was that a good thing? What was going on? Was her system able to go through and delete the invading Skynet nanobots? Just like a human body could rid itself of a virus?

After a long moment on anguish, he saw her eyes move, lock onto him. And he couldn't help himself. He moved forward swiftly, enveloping her in a tight hug. He was so relieved he just wanted to collapse against her, weeping with joy and relief.

They were still in the same position when Weaver and Cody finally approached. Cody was holding his arm, his face twisted in pain, but as soon as he saw John and Cameron, a smile spread across his face.

Weaver remained stoic as usual. "We should get moving. Before more T-Xs show up."

John stood up slowly, offering Cameron his hand, which she took out of gratitude, not necessity.

And she didn't let go.

Not when they had boarded the helicopter and not when they buckled down for the long ride. And the truth was, he wouldn't have let her anyway.

After a long silence, she spoke up softly, "I forgot one."

"One what?" he asked, feeling a spike of nervousness. _One what? _One nanobot? What did that mean?

"You asked me how I would define love," she replied. "I forgot a part."

He swallowed hard. "What's that?"

"Love is unconditional," she replied. "Forgiving."

He smiled, understanding exactly what she was getting it. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"You didn't hate me," she stated. "I was trying to kill you and you still forgave me."

"Because I love you," he replied with a smile.

"Unconditionally."

"Yes," he agreed. "Unconditionally. Because that's what love is."

She looked up to meet his eyes. "Mr. Ellison showed me a Bible verse about love," she said. "1 Corinthians 13:7. It says 'Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails'."

"Never fails," John echoed. How right was that? It was her love for him that had allowed her to break the T-X's hold on her. It had given her the strength to override the termination order.

She was right. Love was all those things. _Their _love was all those things. All those things and more.

Their love was strong.

Unbreakable.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: CAMERON: We could take out the entire base. We can't let those T-X units survive. ALEX: (on radio) There are hundreds of prisoners here! PERRY: He's bluffing. SOLO: I'm in position. Shall I fire? [John looks to Cameron] JOHN: Is it worth the cost?_


	50. Born to Understand

**Chapter Fifty**

**Born to Understand**

**Serrano Point**

**Tech Laboratory**

**September 25, 2027**

Cody walked into the computer lab where Brooks, Wallace, and Kim sat discussing some new weapons. Cody almost froze when he saw Kim, but realized that the T-1000 Weaver faced at the Gray base had probably just taken Kim's form during its development.

The trio looked up when he entered and Brooks glanced at Cody's arm. "What happened there?"

Lauren had put his arm in a sling to prevent it from moving and help the broken bone heal. It still hurt, but Cody had learned to disconnect pain a long time ago. "T-X happened," he said shortly. "That's actually what I came to talk to you about."

Wallace raised an eyebrow. "We didn't design the T-X, if that's what you're asking. We can't tell you how it works."

"I don't need to know how it works," Cody replied. "I need something to stop it."

"To stop it?" Wallace repeated.

Cody stepped forward, glancing around their lab where components for their latest weapon was scattered around. "I need a gun," he explained. "The reverse of a flamethrower. Something that can shoot out nitrogen."

"Nitrogen," Kim repeated skeptically.

"The T-X uses Halypsion metal as a sheath," Cody replied.

Brooks' eyes lit up with recognition. "And Halypsion is susceptible to extreme temperatures, cold or heat."

"I used the nitrogen inside a supercomputer cooling pipe to incapacitate the one that was after me," Cody added.

"The one that did that to you?" Brooks asked, gesturing to his arm.

Cody nodded. "That's the one. So do you think you can come up with something?"

The three gave each other shrewd looks. "Give us a week, Phillips," Brooks said. "We'll come up with something by then."

Cody sighed with relief. If this didn't work, they would be at a serious disadvantage, especially since Skynet had created thirty T-X units from the metal they hadn't been able to steal back.

He knew John was concerned that the thirty units may be enough to cripple the Resistance, but if Wallace, Brooks, and Kim could create a weapon that could stop them…

Cody smiled to himself.

_We're not out of this yet._

**************

**Serrano Point**

**Mess Hall**

Jesse Flores hadn't expected to speak to anyone about her situation. Cameron and Connor obviously knew and did nothing to help. Why should anyone else care? But when Cully and Garvin had met her in the mess hall, they had soon gotten her to spill the whole story, seeming very sympathetic.

Cully lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay, Jesse. Derek's not really dead, right?"

"He's twenty years in the past and I'll never see him again," Jesse protested. She frowned. "You didn't seem surprised when I told you about the time machine."

Cully shrugged. "My brother Ridley's a bubble tech. He used to be at Depot II's TDE but now he's back at Serrano. That John Henry dude just finished up building the new one here. It's supposed to be a little smaller. Anyway, Ridley's probably the one who sent Derek back."

"Connor didn't swear him to secrecy or anything?"

Cully shook his head. "I think everyone in the Resistance will be told eventually."

A sudden thought crept into Jesse's mind. Maybe she could use it… she could go back in time and be with Derek and help him on his mission… she could…

Cully seemed to recognize what she was thinking and he shook his head. "Can't do that," he said. "The entrance is a biometrics lock."

"What about for the other one?" Jesse asked. "The one in Depot II?"

"Same," Cully replied. "Only Connor and Cameron have direct access to it."

Jesse felt her lip curl in disgust. "Cameron too, huh? Your brother's a bubble tech. Doesn't he have access?"

Cully shook his head. "Nope. Like I said, just her and Connor."

Jesse remembered. Derek had told her the same thing after the Amazon mission. He'd been trying to convince her exactly the same thing Dietze was: that Cameron was a threat to Connor. She was the one who had told Connor to go on the Amazon mission, and hundreds of Resistance fighters had been killed, especially when the _Seawolf _had exploded.

_Why didn't I listen to him? _Jesse wondered. Had Derek always been right?

She heard quick footsteps in the hall and a moment later Yelkov burst through the door, his face twisted into a wince. "Zere you are," he breathed, hesitating before delivering the news. "Ze Triple 8 guard at Perth was…" he trailed off.

Jesse stood up instantly. "Was what?" she demanded. "Tell me!"

Yelkov cowered under her intense gaze. "It… vent bad."

_Went bad? Another one? _Jesse felt her blood turn to ice in her veins. The Triple 8 at Perth had gone bad, had turned on them. Her mother was still at Perth. There were hundreds of people at that bunker, growing food and living their life. Had the machine… had it…?

"Survivors?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

Yelkov lowered his gaze. "No survivors."

Jesse felt as if he'd just plunged a knife through her heart. Her mouth parted as she stared, frozen. She was aware of both Cully and Garvin staring at her with horror-filled expressions.

Perth hadn't been a fighting bunker. It had been civilians, farmers and cooks and people trying to have a semi-normal life. Connor had placed a Triple 8 there after the last Skynet attack, thinking it would provide protection for them.

A dry laugh escaped her lips. _Still think that now, Connor? _Had it been Cameron to suggest the placement of the Triple 8? She looked up at met Yelkov's compassionate gaze.

But she didn't have time to cry right now.

She barely even felt it. _I guess when you've already lost so much, you're already numb, _she realized.

Instead she stalked forward and grabbed a shocked Yelkov by the collar, dragging him out of the mess hall and down to the radio room. Once there, she all but threw him into his seat.

"Show me Connor's room," she ordered.

Yelkov held up his hands. "Spy on ze General again? But ve already--."

"_Show _me Connor's room," she demanded. "I need proof."

Yelkov's brow furrowed, but he quickly complied, seeing the determination in Jesse's eyes. As he began to flip on switches, Jesse forced herself to calm down.

How could so many bad things happen to one person? Why was she losing everything? Was this a sign? What was she supposed to learn from this? That John Connor was wrong? The Dietze was right and metal was running the war?

Was all this Cameron's fault?

This was what she needed to see. She needed to know if Cameron really was manipulating John. If she was really the one calling the shots. Cameron's conversation with her after the _Carter's _last voyage had certainly begun to put things into perspective. But the more she thought about it the more she realized that there was more to it than just the fact that telling Cameron was the same as telling Connor. That was a big part, no doubt. And it suggested that Cameron's hold over John was a bit too strong. But was she really a _threat _to him? Was she really manipulating him by considering herself his equal? Who was really running the war? Was it John Connor?

Or was it the machine?

"Here it iz," Yelkov reported quietly.

Jesse turned to the screen. Lucky for her, she had caught them at a time when both Connor and Cameron were inside. Connor was sitting at his desk, his tape recorder in hand, not turning it on, just holding it.

"We could take out the entire base," Cameron proposed from behind him.

"That would destroy the T-Xs," Connor agreed. "But it would also kill all the Grays."

"Yes," Cameron replied. "But we can't let those T-X units survive."

Jesse frowned. She wasn't sure what a T-X was, but it was obvious that Cameron was having a say in the mission planning. Perhaps _all_ the say.

"What do you propose?" Connor asked, still facing his desk.

"We could use nuclear missiles," Cameron suggested. "That would destroy the T-Xs."

Connor still didn't move, setting down the tape recorder. "How do you think she'd feel?"

Cameron frowned in confusion, tilting her head to the side. "Who?"

"My mother," Connor replied. "How do you think she would feel about who I've become. I'm supposed to be the hero, the savior. I wonder if she would be disappointed in me…"

Jesse raised an eyebrow. She had forgotten how young Connor still was, how insecure he could still be.

On screen, Cameron walked up behind him, saying firmly, "She would be proud of you."

Jesse squinted at the screen when Cameron leaned over John's shoulder. "Zoom in," she ordered Yelkov. The tech obeyed quickly and Jesse saw it.

The front of Cameron's jacket was unzipped and a necklace was hanging out. Not just any necklace. Jesse stared at it, realizing that there was a diamond ring on that chain.

_Diamond ring._

Jesse felt a wave of disgust hit her like a ton of bricks. _Married? Married to the metal? _Wasn't that what the ring symbolized? Even Derek hadn't known this fact.

On the screen, John finally turned in his chair to face Cameron, his softening as soon as he did. A small smile appeared on his face. "Thanks," he whispered. A moment later, he stood up from the seat, his face strong once more. "Alright. Let's go take out that Gray Base."

Jesse didn't even wait for Yelkov to turn off the monitor. She was already out the door, into the hallway. She didn't know where she was going, just wandering aimlessly.

Because she finally knew the truth. The truth that Dietze and Derek had tried to warn her of.

John Connor was being corrupted. But the thing was, Cameron had such a hold on him that Jesse didn't know if he could break free. She couldn't kill Cameron. That would only devastate Connor and possibly make him even more of a loose cannon. No, there was nothing she could do. So how was she supposed to save him from himself?

John had fallen too far. He was married to a machine.

And Jesse couldn't understand it.

*************

**Serrano Point**

"Are we ready to go yet?" John asked, as he and Cameron approached the hanger where Blair and reprogrammed Triple 8 Kirk were getting into their A-10s. "Where's the rest of them?"

"Coming, Connor," Nathan Reynolds spoke up from behind, flashing him a sheepish smile. "Sorry. I got lost."

Solo came in right behind him, brushing past Cameron with almost an air of superiority. John didn't miss the glare Cameron gave the AIM rogue, feeling a flash of irritation himself. Nathan seemed to pick up on the hostility, glancing at Cameron warily.

"Seems to me there's some bad blood 'tween you two," he remarked.

"Solo's a newer model than Cameron," John explained. "He thinks he's more human."

Nathan cocked an eyebrow. "More human? Nah." He grinned at Cameron. "See it's a proven fact that girls mature at least twice as fast as guys, so you're like ten times more advanced than him."

Cameron smiled at the thought before heading off towards their helicopter. John watched her, glancing over at Nathan with a look of respect. "Thanks," he said.

The shuttle captain merely flashed him another smile. "No problem. But… it seems to me that you have some doubts too."

John hesitated, looking away. "I don't know," he muttered. Ever since Solo had arrived, he'd had the nagging thought that perhaps he _was _more advanced than Cameron, that he _was _more human. "I want her to be different, to be unique. But he came along and acted so human that I would never have known he was a machine if John Henry hadn't told me."

Nathan considered that. "And when you first met Cameron. Did you know she was a machine?"

"Well, no," John admitted. "But she was in infiltrator mode then. Solo… it's like that's the way he is all the time. He always acts flawlessly like a human. I just… wanted her to be the only one like that. Unique."

Nathan shrugged. "Seems to me like she is pretty unique. I mean, you love her for a reason don't you? What is it you like about her?"

John opened his mouth, suddenly at a loss for words. How could he even describe it? There were no words for it, no words at all. "Everything," he said simply. In spite of all her quirks, he wouldn't change one thing about her.

"Connor, you ready?" Blair called from her cockpit, looking anxious to go.

John nodded swiftly, turning to Nathan. "Thanks for the talk."

Nathan grinned. "Now let's go kick some metal butt."

**************

**Gray Base Outskirts**

John Connor stood at the top of the hill in front of a tall still-standing building they were using as a command center for the attack. Cameron was motionless at his side and Perry was hunched over the laptop with Yelkov, who was monitoring the radio transmissions from their air force.

John raised the binoculars to his eyes, watching as several A-10s advanced towards the Gray Base, armed with nuclear missiles, and piloted by Solo, Kirk, Blair, and Nathan.

"Target acquired," Solo reported over the radio.

"Thank you," John said crisply, still sore about the discussion he'd had about Solo's humanity versus Cameron's. But John Henry had pointed out once that just because Solo acted more human didn't mean he _was _more human.

John had to admit, Solo had his uses. He was a advanced infiltrator, one of the rogues, not the reprogrammed Triple 8s which were giving him such a hard time now. The Perth slaughter was a hard blow, especially since Perth had been their main source of food. Of course, with the _Carter _gone, they wouldn't have been able to easily go and pick up supplies anyway.

"Awaiting orders," Blair chipped in.

John was about to issue the launch order when Yelkov held up a hand frantically. "General! Listen!"

John turned to the young tech, who cranked up the volume on the radio. John recognized Alex Castle's voice coming out of the speaker. "Connor!" Alex was saying. "Wait, you don't want to do this. We can find a different way. We can make a peaceful settlement."

John frowned at the panic and emotion in Alex's voice. "Why?" he asked, suspiciously. Was this a trick? Was Alex trying to save his own skin?

Instead, Alex said something totally unexpected. "Because there are hundreds of prisoners being kept inside on the lower level, the level you didn't see. They're resistance fighters we captured from bunkers, resistance and drifter gangs. We forced them to work for us, for Skynet."

"He's bluffing," Perry insisted.

"Maybe not," Cameron countered.

John bit his lip. If Alex was right, then they would be killing a lot more than the Grays and the T-X units with this attack. They'd be killing their own men too.

"Listen, Connor," Alex said, his voice strained. "You know I hate you and if I ever see you again, I'll kill you myself, but this is not a joke. I know what your forces are capable of."

"He's a Gray," Perry warned.

Alex apparently heard him over the wave. "Yes, I am," he replied boldly. "But I'm still a human being. What you're about to do is a slaughter, both of my people and yours. Listen to me…"

John turned and spoke into his headset. "Kirk. Go down and investigate the Gray Base. Look on the lower level, let me know if there are any prisoners in there."

Perry was looking at John disapprovingly. "He knows we have the advantage. It's a bluff."

"You're probably right," John agreed. But they had to be sure.

"I'm in position with the nukes," Solo reported. "Shall I fire?"

"No," John replied. "Hold."

"This is unwise," Solo protested. "We should hit them now before they can call in reinforcements. Stalling is not in your best interests."

"Shut up," John ordered, cutting the transmission. He turned back to the radio unit, seeing Yelkov and Cameron crouched over the unit, both their faces a mask.

Cameron looked up, meeting John's gaze. "Kirk reports that Alex is telling the truth. There appear to be Resistance prisoners on the lower level."

John felt a heaviness come over his heart. This mission was crucial. They needed to destroy those T-Xs before Skynet unleashed them on the Resistance. They needed to take out this base.

But… if there were human prisoners in there…

"What do we do, Connor?" Perry asked. "If we don't take out this facility, those thirty T-Xs get unleashed and cause even more deaths."

He was right, John knew. What price was too high? Was the sacrifice worth it? Could he do that?

Solo's voice echoed out of his headset. "I have a go."

John looked over at Cameron. "What will happen?"

"There will be casualties."

"How many?"

Cameron stared at him, her eyes never leaving his. "A lot."

What had Alex said? He had _hundreds_ of Resistance prisoners inside the base? Cameron had seen Kirk's report, she knew the exact amount. Those prisoners, plus the Grays – families, women, children…

"But will it work?" he asked. "Will he destroy the target? The T-Xs?"

"Yes," she agreed. "It will work."

John took a deep breath. "Then I guess the question is… is it worth the cost? What do you think?"

"Abort," she stated.

John's eyes narrowed slightly, and he wondered if she had merely learned to say what she thought he wanted to hear or if she really understood.

"We'll get the target," he protested, making sure there was no doubt in his voice. "We'll win. Sometimes… sacrifices need to be made. I think we should go ahead."

She studied him for a long moment, as if trying to determine if he was actually thinking in such a way. Then she spoke, her entire face and voice deadly serious.

"John… Abort."

And just like that, all doubts in John Connor's mind were shattered, every second thought, the nagging voice in his head that spoke up in the back of his mind. The voices of Sarah, Derek, Jesse, and Dietze, all of them, reminding him "she's not real, she's no different than the others."

Suddenly John Connor saw the truth. Solo may have acted more human than Cameron but he didn't understand how to _be_ human. Maybe he was more advanced but it didn't matter. Cameron was different, unique. One of a kind. Neither human nor machine. Just… Cameron.

He put his hand to his headset. "Abort!"

Perry looked stunned. "Connor, he's got a lock…"

"It's too high a price," John countered. In the distance, he saw two of the A-10s break off, leaving only one. And he knew exactly which one had remained behind. "Solo, abort," he ordered.

"Negative, General," Solo replied. "The sequence is already engaged. This is for the best. We must take out this target."

John felt his face pale. "It'll kill many--."

"We are at war, Connor," Solo said, his tone condescending. "Sacrifices are necessary."

"Not always," Cameron echoed.

"Solo," John said firmly. "I _order_ you to abort."

"It is too late for that, General," Solo replied.

John dropped the headset, watching in horror as the missiles impacted with the base. He saw the explosion, the massive mushroom cloud curl up into the air. And it was as if he could feel all those people dying, all those Resistance fighters, all those Grays.

All those _people_.

Yelkov looked up from the radio unit, his face ashen. "Contact lost with Alex Castle."

John sat down heavily, his eyes never leaving the scene of the destruction. He heard Solo's voice over the headset that was now lying on the ground, his triumphant voice claiming, "Mission accomplished."

Something hard crunched down on the headset and John looked up to see Cameron standing behind him, her boot crushing the headset and cutting off Solo's voice. Her face was impassive, but he could tell that she understood what had happened.

She understood that all those people had died.

"It's not your fault," she said quietly.

"No," he agreed, rising to his feet and glaring at the A-10s landing nearby. "It's not."

Solo came out of his cockpit, flashing John a roguish smile. Looking perfectly human. Except that a human wouldn't be celebrating such a massive slaughter.

"I told you to abort," John growled.

Solo didn't seem taken aback at his tone. "This was for the best."

"No, it wasn't."

"But I completed the mission," Solo replied, his tone suggesting genuine confusion.

"Your actions resulted in a loss of human life," John said angrily. "A lot of lives. It was too high a price."

"Why?"

John opened his mouth to speak, but he heard Cameron's soft voice behind him. "Because human life is sacred."

Solo glanced over at Cameron with a half-smile. "We are mission-oriented. It was the most effective way to complete the mission and save more lives. Sacrifices are a necessary part of war."

"Not all the time," John countered.

Solo was still observing Cameron. "Would you have done it differently?"

"Yes," she replied. "I would have aborted."

"Aborted?" From the way he said it, Solo acted as if such a notion was absurd. "If you abort, the mission would not be completed."

"But those humans would still be alive," Cameron replied.

Solo still didn't seem to understand and John walked up to Cameron, gripping her hand. "He's not like you, Cameron. He's an infiltrator. He's good at pretending to be human, at understanding humans. He's good at playing that part. But he's different. He doesn't understand what you do. You know things, you understand things that the other machines can't. You understand the value of life, you understand right and wrong. He doesn't understand life, he doesn't feel remorse. You've learned that, I've taught you that. You… you understand love. There's no one like you. No one can compare. No one even comes close."

Any last trace of doubt was already removed from his mind, any last part of him that had always questioned, always wondered if she really was any different. But there it was, the proof that she was more human than even a machine created after her. Solo could act human. He could almost _be_ human.

But he didn't understand.

Solo didn't feel remorse, he didn't understand right and wrong. He didn't spend hours training a new puppy to replace one he felt guilty about killing. He didn't understand the value of human life.

Solo didn't love.

Cameron did.

Cameron understood.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: JESSE: We have to do something. He got all those people killed. GARVIN: You don't know the circumstances. [Jesse approaches bubble tech Ridley.] JESSE: I need you to send me back in time. RIDLEY: I won't betray Connor's trust. [Jesse finds Riley in the tunnels] JESSE: Pretty girl. What's your name?_


	51. Born to Rebel

_Previously on Born to Fight:__YELKOV: Ze Triple 8 guard at Perth. It… vent bad. JESSE: Survivors? YELKOV: No survivors. [John orders the attack on the Gray base.] ALEX: Connor! You don't want to do this. There are hundreds of prisoners inside. PERRY: He's bluffing. CAMERON: Kirk reports that Alex is telling the truth. JOHN: Is it worth the cost? CAMERON: John… abort. JOHN: Solo, I order you to abort. SOLO: Negative, General. YELKOV: Contact lost with Alex Castle. JOHN: He's not like you, Cameron. You… you understand love. No one can compare. No one even comes close._

**Chapter Fifty One**

**Born to Rebel**

**Serrano Point**

**Radio Room**

Jesse Flores and Chris Garvin sat intently at the radio, listening to the reports Yelkov had been giving from the front lines of the attack. Jesse was waiting with renewed interest. Having heard firsthand that the idea for the attack had come from Cameron, she was even more interested in hearing what Connor would do.

Yelkov's voice was strained. "General! Listen!"

Jesse leaned in closer, trying to hear the voice broadcasting to them as well. It was no one she recognized, but apparently whoever it was knew John Connor.

"Connor!" the voice called. "Wait, you don't want to do this. We can find a different way. We can make a peaceful settlement."

_A Gray at the base, _Jesse realized. She couldn't hear Connor's response, but suddenly the Gray was speaking again.

"Because there are hundreds of prisoners being kept inside on the lower level, the level you didn't see," he said firmly. "They're resistance fighters we captured from bunkers, resistance and drifter gangs. We forced them to work for us, for Skynet."

Garvin gave a dry laugh. "Bluff," he stated. "He's a Gray down there, trying to save his own skin."

"Listen, Connor," the Gray continued, his voice strained. "You know I hate you and if I ever see you again, I'll kill you myself, but this is not a joke. I know what your forces are capable of."

Jesse frowned, hearing Perry's voice faintly accusing, "He's a Gray!"

"Yes, I am," the man replied boldly. "But I'm still a human being. What you're about to do is a slaughter, both of my people and yours. Listen to me…"

For a long moment, she heard nothing on the broadcast and she wondered what Connor would do about the newfound information. Did he believe the Gray? Would he risk it? What would _she _– Cameron -tell him to do?

Yelkov's voice came over the radio, reporting, "Connor iz sending Kirk down to investigate Castle's claim."

Jesse deduced that Castle must be the name of the Gray. _And what will you do, Connor, if it's true? _

She cast a quick glance at Garvin. "Think it's true?"

He shrugged. "He sounded pretty convincing to me, but I guess that's why Connor sent someone down to investigate."

"Some_thing,_" Jesse corrected. Kirk was a scrubbed Trip-8, not a person. A few minutes later, she heard Yelkov report again.

"Kirk reports zat Castle iz telling ze truth. Zere are Resistance prisoners on ze lower level."

Jesse tensed. _What will you do, Connor? Will you attack? Will she tell you that it's worth the price? _

The next few moments passed in uncomfortable silence until she heard Yelkov again, his voice stricken with emotion. "Contact lost with Alex Castle."

Contact _lost? _He had _done _it? She reached for the radio angrily. "Yelkov! What happened?"

"Ve took out ze base," he replied glumly.

_That metal--- _"How many casualties?" she demanded.

The other line was silent and she gripped it tighter. "How many?"

"At least eight hundred."

Jesse let the transceiver fall from her hand and she turned to Garvin, suddenly furious. "You see now what I mean? Dietze was right. Derek was right."

"Right about what?" Garvin asked.

"Her. _It. _She's taken over."

Garvin looked down, not trying to deny it, but rather thinking hard.

"He's making questionable decisions," she continued. "He got all those people killed."

"You don't know the circumstances," Garvin protested.

"I know that _she_ planned that attack," Jesse snapped. Garvin's mouth shut instantly and Jesse pressed her advantage. "I saw them. She proposed dropping nukes on the base and he eventually agreed. She's been manipulating him from the beginning. It was probably her idea to continue the attack even after they found out that there were prisoners inside. It was probably her idea to start bringing on and reprogramming all the Triple 8s on base. Whose idea was it to put a Terminator at Perth? Hers. Don't you get it?"

Garvin was staring at the floor. "The tin cans have us right where they want us."

He was repeating Dietze's words, realizing that the late Lieutenant had been right. And the machines were slowly starting to take over. First the Perth bunker Terminator had flipped and killed everyone, next another one would go, taking out another bunker.

"We have to do something," she said, more to herself than to Garvin. He looked up anyway.

"What can we do?" he demanded. "We can't kill her."

"No, we can't," Jesse agreed. "He has to make that decision on his own." But it couldn't be here. Connor was too far gone here. No, it needed to happen in the past, before the war, before Cameron stuck her claws into him and never let go.

She needed to go back in time.

"I need to see Ridley," she muttered, stalking towards the radio room door.

*************

**Serrano Point**

**Tech Lab**

Jesse stalked quickly towards the tech lab, hoping Cully's bubble tech brother would be inside. She'd never actually met Ridley before, but from what Cully told her, he was one of the best.

She poked her head into the room, glancing around. The place was empty except for one man sitting at a desk, working on a computer or something. _Ridley, _she recognized. She could see Cully in his face. They had the same features.

She walked up to stand in front of his desk. "Jesse Flores," she stated, introducing herself. "Cully's friend."

Ridley looked up with a grin. "Ah, yes. I know you." He shook her hand warmly and Jesse tried to force a smile. Ridley sat back in his chair, folding his hands together. "What can I do for you?"

There was really no other way to put it so Jesse simply wished for the best and blurted out bluntly, "You can send me back in time."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Ridley's face seemed to close up and he started to shake his head slowly. "Flores…"

Jesse flushed. If he was going to make something up about there not _being _a time machine, she would kill him.

"Don't play games with me," she said firmly. "I know it exists and I know that you're the bubble tech."

"I wasn't going to lie to you," Ridley protested. "Almost everyone knows about it by now. But no one else has gone off the deep end and wanted to escape this life."

"_That's _what you think?" she asked incredulously. "You think I want to go back so I won't have to fight?"

"Don't you?"

Jesse leaned forward. She wasn't running from the war. She was going to meet it head-on, in the only place where she could change things, make things they way they needed to be. "The fight is _in_ the past. I go back, and I stop Cameron from corrupting Connor."

She saw Ridley start to shake his head again, shutting down to her argument. Nevertheless, she pressed forward, "You must see it! She has a say in everything he does!"

"Look, it doesn't matter," Ridley said, holding up a hand. "I don't have access to the TDE."

_Right, _Jesse remembered. Only Connor and the machine could access the biometric lock. At least, that's what Derek had said. She'd had a small hope that perhaps they'd added Cully to the list since he was the bubble tech. But it was his position as the bubble tech that could still help her out.

"Ask Connor," she suggested. "Or _her. _Just say you need to do some routine maintenance and let me in later."

Ridley's lips were pressed tightly together, suggesting he was done arguing. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I can't betray Connor's trust."

Jesse almost laughed. "Betray Connor's trust? You'll be _saving _Connor."

"Ease up, Jesse," Ridley said, frowning. "Not every believes that Connor is being corrupted. I think he's done a great job so far."

"Yes, he has," Jesse shot back bitterly. "He did such a great job getting several hundred people killed over at that base."

Ridley scowled. "That wasn't his fault…"

"Yes, it _was_," she insisted. "Because he trusted the machines. He trusted _her_ to plan the attack. And look what happened." She shook her head. It was no use anymore. Ridley was closed down. He wouldn't see reason, couldn't see the hold Cameron had over Connor, couldn't see and understand what _had _to be done for them to win. "I can see this is going nowhere."

She spun on her heel towards the door.

"Jesse, I'm sorry," he called, not sounding apologetic at all. Maybe sorry that she was upset, but not sorry that he didn't help her. "But I won't rebel against Connor."

She paused at the door. _No, _she realized. He _would_. Eventually. Because that was the only way. He _had _to.

"We'll see."

***********

**Serrano Point**

**Mess Hall**

Jesse glared at Cameron when she set the plate of pancakes in front of her and Cully. "What's this?" she asked, forcing a sickly sweet smile. "Nice little poison treat for the rebel soldiers?"

The machine tilted her head, seemingly confused.

"Don't pretend to not know," Jesse continued. "I know whose side you're on. I know who's running this war. You may have fooled Connor, but I _know_."

Cameron looked like she was about to speak, thought better of it, turned and walked away, still carrying another plate of pancakes. Jesse glanced down at the plate that was sitting on their table and shoved it away quickly, as if it burned to even touch it.

Cully was staring at her with a disapproving expression. "Jesse, it's just a pancake."

"Shut up," she said, her voice low. Her eyes followed Cameron as the cyborg left the mess hall, no doubt bringing some pancakes to the poor, deprived leader of mankind. She glanced back down at the plate. "I'm not eating anything that thing touched."

Cully sighed. "You're getting too obsessed with this."

Jesse shook her head, smiling slightly. "No. _I_ am not obsessed with this. _Dietze_ was obsessed with this. He made a mistake. I won't."

"What mistake?" Cully asked, exasperated. "Getting killed by a metal?"

"Dietze only had hatred," Jesse replied. "He didn't have a hope."

"And you do?"

"Of course," Jesse replied as if it were obvious. "All I need to do is get your brother's help."

Cully's eyes squinted. "So you spoke to Ridley."

"Yes," Jesse agreed. "He was rather blunt about the fact that he wouldn't help."

"He believes in Connor," Cully replied. "We all do."

"_I_ believedin Connor," Jesse added. "Until the machine came along and started running things."

Cully seemed to hesitate. "I don't disagree with you. I know she helps him with strategy…"

"I don't think you understand," Jesse cut in. "Her tactics are getting innocent people killed. Good people. Her tactics put metal on every base, running the show. Waiting. Cully…you have to convince him to help me."

"Convince Ridley? What am I gonna do? Connor trusted him. He won't betray that trust by joining a rebellion against him."

Jesse felt a flash of resentment at the term. "It's not a rebellion. It _needs _to be done. Look around you. Who's in charge?" Cully glanced away and she knew she was getting through to him. She needed him to understand everything because he needed to make _Ridley_ understand everything. "She's going to _win_. She's going to win the war. Not for Connor. For Skynet. For the machines."

"You remember what Connor said when he first brought her here?" Cully asked. "Who's the enemy? Skynet or machines. We've co-existed with machines for years--"

"Not these machines," Jesse insisted. "These are on an agenda for Skynet. The one at Perth was biding its time, waiting to strike."

Understanding seemed to dawn on Cully's face and he looked at her, his face twisted in remorse. "Jesse… stopping Cameron isn't going to bring your mother back. Or Derek."

Jesse felt the pang in her heart at the mention of them, but she quickly buried it. "You think this is about my mother? Or Derek? I'm not going back to stop the war, Cully. I'm going to win it. I'm going to make sure _we _win it. Not her. Not the machines. Us. Humans. Connor and humans."

"Not all the machines are going to turn on us," Cully replied.

Jesse smiled. "I used to think just like you do." So naïve, so trusting. Both of Connor and the machine and Queeg… She pursed her lips. "Then I saw the truth. There's no way out for us."

The mess hall door burst open and she saw Bird in the entryway, his face ashen. "Metal!" he shouted.

Jesse was on her feet instantly, reaching for her plasma rifle that was propped against the table. "What's going on?"

"Fett!" Bird reported. "It flipped. And it's coming this way, killing everybody."

"Buckethead," Jesse repeated. The T-900 assassin that Connor - and Cameron - had brought back from the _Serenity _mission. Jesse steeled herself, her hands tightening on her plasma rifle.

At her side, Cully was crouched beside the table, his face white with determination and fear. She remained quiet and still, waiting. Not a minute later, she saw Buckethead step inside the doorway of the mess hall.

_Aim for the chip, _Derek's voice was repeating in her head. _Aim for the chip, they don't get up. _Jesse aimed and fired.

The plasma bolt connected with Buckethead's helmet, knocked him backwards, but it hadn't pierced through. Instead he was back on his feet, the faceless mask staring at her.

She'd always wondered why that particular Terminator had been given armor. Hadn't the coltan skeleton been enough? Now, she knew why. Whatever kind of armor Buckethead was wearing, it was resistant to plasma.

It made her weapon useless. Buckethead reached behind his back, pulling forward a large gun. Was that a rocket launcher? Jesse wondered in horror. A second later, she got her answer when the rocket shot out of the tube, coming straight for her and Cully. They both ducked and the rocket exploded behind them, sending shrapnel flying.

Jesse felt something hot across her back, a searing, paralyzing pain that sent her to the ground. Right in front of her, she saw Cully, a piece of shrapnel sticking out of his chest, his eyes still open in death.

She shakily reached back and put her hand to her side, feeling something sticky against her palm. Blood. _Shrapnel, _she realized, fighting a wave of dizziness and nausea. She tried to crawl forward, stifling a cry of pain from her wound.

Across the room, she saw Buckethead standing in the doorway gripping Bird by the neck. _Only a matter of time before he gets this way, _she thought morbidly. This was it. Connor had gotten them all killed.

By trusting the machines. By trusting Cameron.

She began to feel numb and she succumbed to the darkness.

************

**Serrano Point**

**Radio Room**

"Have you had any luck?" John asked, standing over Yelkov's shoulder as the tech worked on the DVDs Dyson had given him at Zion, the DVDs from his mother.

"Ze had major damage," Yelkov reported.

John sighed. If what Dyson had said was true, all his mother's research about Skynet II was on those discs. Research, and plans, and maybe a way to stop it for good.

He heard the door creak open and looked up when Cameron entered, instantly catching a whiff of the familiar scent of pancakes. Yelkov seemed to perk up at the same time.

"For me?" he asked.

"You and John," Cameron agreed, handing him the plate. Yelkov grinned at John before picking up a pancake.

"She iz a good cook!"

John smiled.

A voice suddenly came out the radio. "Connor! Help!"

Yelkov was instantly on alert, checking the frequency. "Iz internal," he reported. "Coming from ze western side of Serrano."

John snatched the transmitter from Yelkov's hand. "What's going on?"

"Fett!" the soldier reported. "He's flipped."

John looked up purposely at his cyborg protector. "Cameron."

Cameron grabbed her grenade launcher and turned toward the door. John lurched forward and caught her arm before she could leave, causing her to turn and cock her head in confusion at his behavior.

"Be careful," he warned.

"I always am," she replied.

John watched as she left, getting a nagging sense of apprehension he always felt when she was doing something potentially dangerous. He wanted to help her, but knew she would kill him herself if he put himself in harm's way.

Instead, he turned back to Yelkov. "Can we get a visual of what's going on?"

Yelkov instantly started flipping through the security camera feeds, searching the area for any sign of the renegade T-900. "Zere!" he announced, stopping on the mess hall feed. Fett was in the doorway, his hand around Lieutenant Bird's throat. John could recognize Cully and Jesse lying motionless on the other end of the room.

"As soon as it's clear, get Lauren and Sydney in there," he ordered. "We've got wounded." Yelkov nodded before moving to obey the order. John kept his eyes on the feet. Something shot at Fett from offscreen.

_Cameron, _he realized. The grenades did surprisingly little damage to Fett's armor, denting it, but keeping him intact. Cameron was suddenly in the camera's view and Fett dropped Bird's body and started toward her, bringing up his rocket launcher. John felt a flash of fear but before Fett could shoot, something rolled out into the room and exploded and suddenly the screen blinked out.

John felt his breath catch and he shoved away from the tech booth, bolting through the bunker at breakneck speed towards the mess hall. He skidded to a halt in the doorway, seeing both Fett and Cameron on the ground and Cody Phillips standing in the middle of the room, a knife in one hand and the T-900's chip in the other.

"EMPG," he said, glancing over at Cameron. "She'll be back online in maybe thirty seconds."

John let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "You did good," he said, gesturing to Fett's body. Why had the machine flipped? That was two in one week.

Seconds later, Lauren and Sydney Fields ran in, immediately moving to help the injured. John saw instantly that Cully and Bird were beyond help, but Jesse would survive. It was a shrapnel wound, but it hadn't been lethal.

And yet, he couldn't but wonder if it actually _was. _Lethal, because perhaps this was the moment when Jesse truly changed her mind about him and the machines. Because perhaps now was the moment when she would decide to go back in time and change things. Go back and get both herself and Riley killed for a misguided cause.

So, yes, he thought grimly. Maybe that shrapnel wound had been lethal. Because the Jesse Flores he knew was already dead.

**************

**Two Weeks Later...**

**Serrano Point**

**Memorial Site**

**November 12, 2027**

Jesse Flores stood watching from a distance as Ridley sat in front of his brother's marker in the memorial site, where other fallen soldiers, most notably Allison Young and hybrid Marcus Wright were honored as well.

She hadn't been able to attend Cully's funeral due to her shrapnel wound. It was healing nicely now, Lauren had said. Jesse didn't even feel it anymore.

Then again, she hadn't felt much of anything for a long time.

Ridley seemed to know she was standing there, for he stood up, wiping away tears before turning to look at her, his eyes dead and haunted.

"Now do you see?" she asked, purposely keeping her voice soft. "What they are? What they do?"

Ridley responded, his voice low, "I understand."

"So you know what you need to do?"

This wasn't a rebellion against John, she told herself. This was a necessity. Necessary to ensure the survival of mankind. To ensure that atrocities like this never happened again. Connor would understand.

Cameron needed to be stopped.

Finally Ridley spoke, saying the words she'd been waiting to hear, "I'll help you. Meet me at the TDE entrance tonight."

Jesse nodded. She was perfectly fine with the delay. Because there was one other thing she needed in order for her plan to work.

She needed a recruit.

**************

**Serrano Point**

**Civilian Tunnels**

Every bunker was the same.

Under Serrano Point was a bunch of manmade tunnels where the civilians stayed, civilians and other soldiers. As if being underground was actually safer than being up in Serrano itself, where at least she could see daylight

Riley moved through the tunnel, trying not to act suspicious. No one noticed tunnel rats like her, not anymore. People back at Goldfish used to treat her somewhat with respect, only because John Connor had often come down just to see her and talk with her and _be _with her.

But that was in the past.

She wasn't new to Serrano. She'd been here ever since she'd been rescued from the prison barge with John Connor. But after that day, she'd never seen him again. She didn't even count the time she came to his birthday party. It didn't make a difference that she had once been there for him, that they'd been friends. No one else in the bunker cared about her or what John Connor thought of her.

The others may have forgotten about the past.

But she hadn't.

Although right now, being invisible sort of had its advantages. No one paid her mind as she went snaking through the tunnels, searching for any kind of food she could steal. Ever since both the _Jimmy Carter _and Perth were destroyed, the shipments of food had stopped. Most of the good meals were given to the soldiers, to keep them healthy. She wasn't even sure if John knew about their situation down here.

It was dirty, dark, and damp. She was hungry, scared, wanted it all to be over. And every day she would wait, hoping that just maybe John would come down again to see her. His visit would completely change her perspective on life.

If you could call this living.

She moved on through the tunnel, vaguely aware of the two resistance fighters in the corner. They didn't matter. They wouldn't pay her mind. No one ever did. She crouched down, grabbing a can of soup and clutching it to her chest. A glare of light caught her eye and she turned, seeing a female Resistance fighter coming towards her. The lights from above reflected off her rifle, causing the glare Riley had seen.

There was a purpose in the soldier's stride in her face and Riley felt a flash of fear. Had the soldier seen her steal the soup? Did it belong to her? There had never been a case of a resistance fighter ever attacking a civilian but that didn't mean it didn't happen. Squabbles over food happened often.

She darted down the hallway and crouched in the corner, clutching the can and hoping the Resistance fighter wouldn't follow. Instead, she heard someone kneel down in front of her and she hesitantly raised her head to stare into the eyes of the soldier.

Instead of anger, she saw a curiosity, a kindness even. The soldier gestured for her to come closer, brushing Riley's tangled hair out of her eyes and cupping her face in a motherly fashion.

"Pretty girl," she remarked, releasing Riley's head and offering her a small smile. "What's your name?"

Riley tried not to seem suspicious. When was the last time anyone had given her a second glance? Especially a Resistance fighter. They had more important things to do, like fighting the machines. John Connor had been the only one to take an interest in her.

She worked her mouth, finally answering, "R-Riley. Dawson."

"Riley," the fighter repeated. "Nice name."

Riley was still trying to wrap her head around the friendly nature of this person. "Um… What's yours?"

The fighter smiled again. "Jesse."

"And what do you want?"

"I need your help," Jesse replied. Riley frowned. What could she possibly have that this Jesse person wanted. Her fingers tightened around the can of soup, as if deciding that was the only thing she had of value.

Jesse pressed forward. "Surely you've noticed how out of hand things have gotten around here. With Connor… his decisions."

Riley frowned. Were there actually soldiers in John's army that thought he wasn't good enough? She heard an edge creep into her voice, "John's doing what he thinks is best."

"Is he?" Jesse countered. "Is replacing Allison with Cameron really for the best? Having a relationship with a machine? Don't pretend you don't see it. I watched you at his birthday party. He isn't usually so cold, is he?"

"No, but…" Riley hesitated, upset by the painful memory. John hadn't seemed particularly overjoyed to see her at the party. Instead, he'd been focused on Cameron. Cameron had been the one who had threatened her.

Jesse seemed to understand exactly what was playing through Riley's mind. "It's her. She's been corrupting him, manipulating him. Look at what she's turned him into. She convinced him to take out that Gray Base even though it killed hundreds of our own people inside."

Riley winced. She'd heard about that, heard some of the other soldiers discussing it. They hadn't been too happy with John either.

"She convinced him to start putting machines on every base," Jesse continued. "Already three have flipped and killed many of us. She has a secret agenda, something that will destroy the Resistance, something that will destroy John."

_Destroy John? _Was John really in danger and didn't realize it? And even if he was, what did Jesse think she could do about it?

"What do you want me to do?"

"I'm making you an offer," Jesse replied. "The chance to be a hero, to save John Connor. The chance to go to paradise, carrots and apples."

Riley frowned. "Carrots and apples?"

"Happy thoughts," Jesse replied, pulling out two cans and holding them out to Riley who quickly snapped them up before she could stop herself. One of them was canned apples, one was carrots.

Carrots and apples.

Happy thoughts.

Riley tried to process that information. The chance to be a hero. Happiness. Paradise. Sure, it sounded appealing, but it didn't make sense. It was impossible.

"What are you saying?"

"Connor has a time machine," Jesse explained. "Something that only he and the machine have access to. But I know the bubble tech who works on it. He can get us in. We can go back in time, to 2007, before Judgment Day, before the war. You can escape this life, eat real food again, take a real shower, live a real life."

If this time machine really worked, why would Jesse want Riley to come with her? And how would that benefit John? She wasn't stupid. There had to be more to it than that. "What's the catch?"

"We find John Connor and you get close to him. You have to get him to fall in love with you. And keep him away from her."

Riley felt a pang of despair. "Cameron's in the past too?"

"Apparently," Jesse agreed. "He must send her back in time to be with his younger self. That's when all this goes downhill. We have to stop her. We have to save him."

"I get him to fall in love with me," Riley began. "…and…we stay together? In the past? We don't have to come back?"

"Never," Jesse confirmed. "Carrots and apples forever."

_Forever. _

She could stay in the past, before the war. No more guns, no more war, no more pain, death, or destruction. With food and water and a place to sleep and shower.

Jesse was right.

Paradise.

And all she had to do to get there was to help Jesse on a mission. She had to get a young John Connor to fall in love with her. Which didn't seem too hard. The John she knew had taken a liking to her from the first time they'd met.

"Are you in?" Jesse prodded.

Riley nodded slowly. "Yeah. I'm in."

*************

**Serrano Point**

**TDE Chamber**

"Alright," Ridley reported. "It's all fired up."

Jesse stepped into the center of the chamber, fighting back the butterflies in her stomach. She wasn't sure what to expect. Seeing the huge time machine had been a sight, even more so for Riley, who seemed to be mesmerized by it. Even when they'd been walking through Serrano, Riley had been noting things.

Jesse supposed that it was different than living in the tunnels, though Riley should count her blessings. Down in the tunnels, there were no machines. They were all up inside Serrano Point, reverting and killing all her friends and loved ones.

She quickly shoved the thought of Cully aside and nodded to Ridley. "We're ready."

As Riley stood beside her, Jesse looked down at the girl. Riley had been the only reasonable choice. Ever since John Connor had been with them, she had seen his undeniable connection to Riley. Whenever he had come to Goldfish bunker, he'd asked for her, spent time with her.

She didn't understand it, but for some reason, John Connor felt the need to protect Riley. They had some kind of connection. And that made Riley the perfect candidate to get close to young John.

She felt Riley shiver as the blue lights began to flash and Ridley stepped out of the way. Jesse put her arm around Riley in an attempt to reassure her.

"Whatever happens, don't be afraid, okay?" she said cheerfully. "I got your back. I promise."

She saw Riley smile.

As everything around them began to blur blue, Jesse steeled herself for whatever was to come. She still held firm to her belief. Cully and Ridley hadn't wanted to join a rebellion, but she knew that wasn't what she'd been forming.

This wasn't a rebellion.

It was a rescue.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: JOHN: This is John Connor. I have a message for everyone in the Resistance. There's something you don't understand. Not all the machines are reprogrammed. Some of them… are rogues. [John meets with John Henry] JOHN: I need some advice. JOHN HENRY: I still have a spy inside Skynet. He has learned that Skynet has completed a new TDE. [John's mouth goes dry] JOHN: What?_


	52. Born to Send

**Chapter Fifty Two:**

**Born to Send**

**Serrano Point**

**Radio Room**

**November 13, 2027**

Everything seemed to be going wrong.

It had started with Queeg and the destruction of the _Carter_, their last submarine and a valuable asset. Then Skynet had unveiled its new and deadly T-X units. Then Solo had disobeyed orders and gotten hundreds of people – Gray and Resistance alike – killed in a nuclear attack he had planned.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the Triple 8 at Perth had flipped and slaughtered the entire bunker. And just weeks ago, their captured T-900, Fett, had gone haywire, taking out almost half a bunker at Serrano.

John put a hand on his head. What was going on? Why was everything falling apart now? Was Skynet II really pulling ahead in this war? He hesitated with his hand on the radio unit, still debating on if he should make the broadcast or not. The Resistance fighters who were left were loyal.

And they deserved to know the truth.

"This is John Connor," he announced. "I have a message for everyone in the Resistance." He hesitated. "I'm afraid I have some bad news. You may or may not have heard what's been going on in the past month or so. I'm not sure if Yelkov has been giving you updates or not. We've had two reprogrammed Triple 8s flip and attack our bunkers. I've decided… that this reprogramming may have been a mistake."

He was sure many of the listeners would be surprised at his revelation. Maybe some would be grateful that he finally saw reason. But that wasn't the end. The reprogrammed Terminators were not going to help him win the war.

It was machines like Cameron and John Henry and Weaver. The Rogue Faction John Henry had started. _That's _what would continue to help him.

"There's something you don't understand," John admitted. "Not all the machines are reprogrammed. Some of them… are rogues. They _choose_ to help the Resistance stop Skynet. I know this may be a shock to some of you, but hear me out. If some humans, our own species, can decide that they want to betray us and fight for Skynet, then why can't the machines do the same? Why can't some of them dislike the way Skynet does things and want to help us defeat it? This is not a war against man and machine. It's a war between Skynet and those of us who want peace.

"The Rogues do not work for us. They work _with_ us. And they will continue to work with us. But I want every reprogrammed T-Triple 8's chip to be removed as soon as possible. We cannot risk anymore of them 'going bad.' This is John Connor. If you're listening to this, you are the Resistance."

John clicked off the radio and set it down, turning and heading out of the radio room. As he walked through the halls, he could almost feel an air of depression hanging over them all. Fett had killed many soldiers this month and everyone still seemed to be mourning. Or giving up.

He couldn't have that. They needed some good news, a plan to stop Skynet once and for all.

He entered John Henry's room where the rogue leader was sitting and talking with Savannah, as he usually did. The two had formed a close, near inseparable bond since they'd been reunited. John knew that Savannah was trying to help John Henry understand things about life: morals, right and wrong, love. John Henry still didn't seem to grasp the concept of love yet. Not truly.

"How's it going?" he asked, causing Savannah to glance up.

"Savannah and I were about to sing a song, would you like to join us?"

John cocked an eyebrow. "I think I'll pass."

"It's called 'Donald, Where's Your Trousers'," John Henry reported, as if that would make John change his mind.

John shook his head. "No thanks. I actually just came to see if you had any… advice." It sounded weird, he'd admit. Asking for military advice from a cyborg singing about missing pants. But he knew that John Henry was smarter than he sometimes acted. The childlike innocence and cheerful disposition was just a part of his personality now, probably partially put on for Savannah's sake. Though she was older now too, he had no doubt she liked reminiscing the "good old days" with her best friend.

"I still have a spy inside Skynet," John Henry began.

"You do?" John asked. "Skynet hasn't found them all yet?"

"Bond has been very careful," John Henry replied.

"Bond?" John repeated. "You named him Bond?"

"He's a spy," John Henry replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's a perfect title. Bond. James Bond."

"Okay," John muttered. "What does Bond have to report?"

"He has learned that Skynet has completed a new TDE," John Henry said.

John felt his mouth go dry. "What?" he choked out.

"The time machine," John Henry replied. "Bond heard that Skynet was sending the reprogrammed T-1000, Patrick, back in time to kill--."

"I know," John replied glumly. "_Me." _He should have known. Patrick and the other two T-1000s he had, along with scientist Kim all looked alike. They all looked like that liquid metal that had tried to kill him when he was a kid. The one who had stabbed his mother, trying to get her to scream so he would come back. The one who had taken her shape and almost confused the crap out of him.

The one Uncle Bob had destroyed right before he ordered Sarah to destroy the last remaining chip: his.

"Uncle Bob," he said aloud. "I have to send him back to stop Patrick, to protect me."

"Yes," John Henry agreed.

John met the cyborg's gaze, his eyes determined. "You know where he is right now?" John hadn't actually seen Uncle Bob since Cameron had kicked him out of their room on his birthday night.

"He is usually checking weapons in the armory," John Henry reported. "He's not social like me or Cameron or even Solo."

John felt his lip curl instinctively. "Don't mention Solo." The rogue had already proven that he could _act _human but he would never be human. He didn't understand humans like Cameron did.

He nodded briskly to John Henry. "Thanks. I'll go find him."

As he left the room, he could have sworn he heard John Henry start singing "Donald Where's Your Trousers."

*************

**Serrano Point**

**Armory**

John bit his lip, refraining from calling the Terminator "Uncle Bob". It wasn't the father figure he knew. Not yet.

"I need you," he stated. Uncle Bob looked up, his face completely blank.

"What is my mission?"

"You are to go back in time and protect me – my younger self – from being killed by a T-1000 liquid metal."

It was a daunting task, one that a human would have balked at. But Uncle Bob merely stated, "Affirmative."

John shifted uneasily, finding the machine's death stare unnerving. Of course, perhaps Uncle Bob would try to act a little more human as soon as he arrived in the past and came into contact with humans who _didn't _know about cyborgs.

He recalled the way Uncle Bob had acted before he, John, had taught him better and winced.

Then again, maybe not.

He entered the TDE chamber where Ridley, Weaver, John Henry, and Cameron were waiting. John gestured to the center of the chamber. "Just go stand in the middle."

Uncle Bob did so without question.

"Mr. Connor," John Henry spoke up. "Records indicate that the TDE was accessed last night. Did you authorize a transport?"

John frowned. _Last night? _He hadn't sent anyone back in time since Matthew Storm. But no one else had access to the machine except him and Cameron and…

John met eyes with Ridley, whose eyes were filled with guilt. The bubble tech had come to John yesterday, asking John to let him into the chamber to do some routine maintenance. He'd said he just needed to do something, to keep doing his duty. Since he was still grieving over his brother's death, John had understood. He'd let him in.

He'd never actually seen when he came out.

"Riley…" her name slipped out and he saw Cameron glance over, her expression unreadable. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Ridley. "Jesse and Riley. You sent them back."

Ridley didn't bother to deny it, looking extremely depressed and guilty about the going against orders. "Sorry, Connor," he murmured.

"You assisted in a rebellion," Weaver stated. "Your disobedience should be punished. Death."

John looked at her sharply. "That's not how we do it." He turned back to Ridley, who looked momentarily relieved. "Ridley, you are suspended from duty until further notice. Return to your bunk."

Ridley opened his mouth to speak, thought better of it, and slowly walked past John, looking totally dejected. John gestured to the TDE. "Weaver, can you…?"

"Of course," she replied, walking briskly to the machine and starting it up.

John looked over at Uncle Bob who was standing in the exact center of the chamber, looking completely stoic and robotic. As the blue lights started crackling, he noticed Cameron staring skeptically at the T-800.

"He's not an infiltrator. Are you sure he'll fit in?" she questioned.

John was about to shrug when Uncle Bob spoke.

"Hasta la vista, baby," he stated. In the next instant, John saw the flash and Uncle Bob was gone.

John couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face at hearing Uncle Bob's words. "Yeah," he said in response to Cameron. "He'll do just fine."

***************

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

John sat on the edge of his bed, his eyes downcast, his thoughts jumbled. Skynet was pulling ahead. He may have destroyed their T-X army, but he'd also decommissioned all his reprogrammed Triple 8s. Skynet would keep making Terminators, building new weapons, using their new TDE.

Unless John could find a way to stop them.

Just thinking about the time machine sent a pang of remorse into his heart. Jesse and Riley were gone, back to the past on a misguided rebel mission to destroy his relationship with Cameron.

His lip curled and he chuckled humorlessly. They didn't realize what would have happened if they'd succeeded. He would never have gotten this far. Cameron was his rock. She kept him in line, she kept his will, his hope, his fight alive. Without her, he would have quit a long time ago.

But still, somehow he felt guilty for what happened to Jesse and Riley. Was there something he could have done to reassure them? Could he have stopped Riley? He no longer had the whole past-future thing to hide behind. Officially, Jesse was gone. Dead.

And so was Riley.

He was vaguely aware of Cameron opening the door and entering the room, but he never looked up. She didn't say anything, but he felt her sit down beside him, her eyes focused forward.

"I feel like everything's falling apart," he said quietly, eyes still downcast. "Like we're alone in the world now."

She was silent for a brief moment. "I told Sarah Connor once that there's only one way for you to be safe. And that's to be alone."

"Alone," he repeated. Surely she didn't mean _completely _alone, right?

"Alone from humans," she corrected. "Humans are the problem. They are unreliable. Jesse was unreliable. Derek was unreliable. Riley was ---."

"Don't," he muttered, wincing. "Please… don't talk about her."

"I'm sorry."

He looked up at her, sighing and shaking his head. "No… it's… it's not your fault."

"It's not yours either," she pointed out.

_Isn't it? _He wondered. "I didn't stop her. I could have warned her about Jesse. I didn't."

"This had to happen."

He let out an incredulous laugh. Now she sounded like Weaver. Things have to happen in a certain way in order for the timeline to be preserved. He couldn't stop Allison's death. He couldn't stop from sending Kyle and Derek back in time. He couldn't stop Riley and Jesse. "I can't change anything, can I?"

"Would you want to?" she asked. "Deny Riley the opportunity to live in the past, away from the war. Where she could live for a few years, eat real food, be a real person."

"And get killed," he finished bitterly.

"That could have happened at anytime," she stated. "She could have been killed by Fett when he flipped. She could have gotten killed tomorrow."

He sighed. "You've made your point. Enough about Riley." He didn't want to talk about her anymore. There was nothing he could do to change the situation, so there was no use crying about it, was there?

He glanced over at Cameron, momentarily stunned by the look on her face. It was something he'd never seen her display before. Something completely human, a mix between grief and remorse and hesitation.

Complete vulnerability.

"John…" she began.

John's eyebrows knit together in confusion. What was wrong? What did she want to tell him? "What is it?"

"After tomorrow, things will change."

John's lip parted and he stared at her, trying to make sense of her words. "What do you mean? What things?"

Cameron truly seemed torn between telling him whatever she wanted to tell him and keeping silent. Finally, it seemed that her logic won out.

"Nothing," she replied. Before he could protest, she put on a smile that looked perfectly natural. "Don't worry about it."

John's brain was still fuzzy with confusion. What would change? Was it something with the war? Had John Henry learned something new? Did she mean they were coming down to the end?

Or, well, his real birthday was tomorrow, so maybe she meant "change" as in him finally turning twenty. That was supposed to be some kind of milestone, right?

He quickly dismissed that thought. Cameron wouldn't have had that look on her face about his birthday. It was something else, something deeper. Something she was reluctant to share, maybe because it would upset him.

Before he could contemplate it any further, she leaned forward and pressed her lips up to his, the kiss warm and sweet.

And… something else.

He could feel almost an urgency in the kiss, as if she didn't want to pull away. With a start, he realized why. She knew something. She knew the day was coming. And she knew their time together was suddenly limited.

Now John understood why, and he felt an urgency of his own as he responded to her kiss.

Skynet had just built its new TDE. It had already sent Patrick. Soon, it would be sending Cromartie.

And he would be sending Cameron, too.

*************

**Serrano Point**

**John Connor's Private Quarters**

**November 14, 2027**

John opened his eyes, groaning at the sound of paws scratching at the door. He winced. Sam must have gotten locked out last night. He quickly rolled out of bed, and opened the door. Sam was sitting there, head cocked, tail wagging. John knelt down at gave the dog a pat.

"Hey, you seen Cameron yet, buddy?" John asked, knowing full well that Sam wouldn't understand him anyway. But apparently Yelkov, who was passing through the hallway, heard him.

"She iz in talking with John Henry and Savannah," he replied. "Zey told me to tell you zey are waiting for you.

John nodded gratefully. "Thanks."

If Cameron was planning something with John Henry and Savannah and requested his presence, perhaps she was preparing a surprise. Hadn't this happened the last time? Today was officially his birthday, so maybe they were planning something special. Yes, they'd had a party two months ago when everyone was still around, but still…

He stepped into the room, grinning broadly when he saw Cameron, Savannah, and John Henry inside.

"There you are," he said cheerfully, feeling much more chipper than usual. To his surprise, none of them responded with a smile, not even the usually annoyingly-happy John Henry. They all wore the most serious faces he'd ever seen.

Cameron's even held a hint of sadness.

He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. Was this a trick? Were they messing with him? Waiting for him to think something was wrong before jumping up and shouting "Surprise! Happy Birthday!"

"So," he asked, keeping his voice cool. "What's going on?"

John Henry spoke first, his voice grave. "A machine has been sent back in time to Red Valley, New Mexico where it will attempt to murder a fifteen year old boy named John Connor."

All trace of a smile instantly disappeared off John's face. This was real. John Henry was dead serious, as were Cameron and Savannah. "Cromartie," John stated.

"He will succeed," John Henry agreed. "Unless someone stops him."

John felt as if he'd been punched as he realized what John Henry was insinuating. "Now?" he croaked. "You want me to send her now? No…" He shook his head. _No, _he couldn't do that. He needed her, needed her help to win the war. He couldn't do this alone!

Savannah looked heartbroken for him, but she agreed with John Henry. "You have to. If Cromartie has a chance to change the timeline… you'll cease to exist."

"This isn't Back to the Future," he snapped. "I won't disappear if I wait!"

"How can you be sure?" she asked reasonably.

He shook his head vehemently. "Not now! I can't!"

Cameron stepped forward, speaking softly. "John… you knew this was coming."

He kept shaking his head. "Not now. I'm not ready."

"Will you ever be ready?" she asked. "This has to happen. You know. You and I both knew this day would come."

"This is what you were trying to warn me about," he said. "Last night. You told me everything would change."

"I don't want to leave you," Cameron said firmly. "But I have to. I have to protect you. You can't send anyone else. I can't stay."

"But you _can_," he insisted. "We can change the future…"

"If I stay, you will never meet me," she explained. "You would grow close to whoever your new protector was. You may even fall in love with Riley. And Jesse would win."

"But you'd lose," Savannah said softly. "You'd lose the war. Without her, you wouldn't have made it this far. She _has_ to be the one to go."

"I will prepare the TDE chamber," John Henry said, moving to the door. Savannah quickly followed after him, leaving John alone with Cameron, his mind racing, trying to think of some way he could talk her out of it, some loophole, some way that she could stay.

She seemed to anticipate what he was thinking. "John… it's time for me to go."

He didn't want her to go. He wanted her to stay here forever, with him. But she was right. There was no one else he would trust to protect his younger self. No one else would prepare him for his role in the future.

Besides, like Weaver had said, it was because of Cameron and his love for her that brought the rogues to his side. And that's what would win this war. Cameron would win this war.

Whether she was here to see it or not.

He forced a smile he didn't feel and took her hand. "I love you, Cameron Phillips," he said softly. "I always will, even if we're miles or years apart. Ours is a love that transcends time, just like Kyle and my mother. And I want you to know something." He paused, pursing his lips. "I was a complete jerk to you. I trampled over you and threw away our friendship. I abandoned you for Riley and I blamed you for everything."

She opened her mouth to protest, but he held up a hand. "But I want you to know that down deep… I had never stopped loving you. I've _alway_s loved you. And a love like this doesn't die. Not ever. Not even when separated by two decades. Remember that."

She nodded and he leaned forward and kissed her desperately. How on earth could he let her go? Why did he have to sacrifice everyone he loved? Why him? Why couldn't he be selfish just this once?

_Because… I'm John Connor._

He pulled back, opening his eyes to see Weaver standing in the doorway. She gave him a tight smile. "We must perform the memory scrub."

For a moment fear flashed in his mind. "What? So she won't…"

"Don't be absurd," Weaver replied. "We will only erase what is necessary. Memories of Ms. Dawson here in the future and everything that happened in the past. We will leave everything that happened in the future and it will be as if she was never in the past before."

"Is that really necessary?"

"You tell me, Mr. Connor," Weaver replied. "Don't you think that if she knew what she'd already lived through in the past, she might be tempted to change some things?"

He frowned. "Maybe."

"We can't have that," Weaver concluded. "Don't be afraid. John Henry will supervise the process. I promise we will only erase what is necessary."

John glanced over at Cameron who didn't seem fazed at all. "It's okay, John. I asked for her help. It's best this way."

"Right. Of course."

He watched dejectedly as she followed Weaver out into the hall towards the computer lab where John Henry would scrub some of her memories. She wouldn't remember meeting him the first time, or when he had reactivated her after she'd destroyed ARTIE. She wouldn't remember her proclamation of love when he had her trapped, wouldn't remember overriding her own programming so she would spare him. She wouldn't remember Riley, or the jealousy she felt, the time she came into his room and talked to him about being lonely, when she discussed feelings in the car ride from Mexico.

She wouldn't remember that night in the hotel right before she'd sacrificed her chip to John Henry. She wouldn't remember any of that.

But she would remember everything that happened in the future, the love they shared.

She'd remember this.

And that was all that mattered.

************

**Serrano Point**

**Computer Lab**

Cameron stood in the doorway of the computer lab, staring at John Henry who was looking up at her with a sorrowful expression. "You love him."

She felt a spike of emotion, something she'd become accustomed to feeling whenever the subject of John came up. "I do."

"He's sending you back."

"I know."

"You don't want to go."

"My mission is to protect John," she recited. "Even Past-John."

"But you won't be with John," John Henry replied.

"I'll be with _a_ John."

"Not the John who loves you."

His statement was not entirely true. John had just revealed to her that he had always loved her, secretly. Perhaps he'd never even realized it himself until later on. But John Henry was right. It wasn't the John who loved her, not truly. Not yet at least.

"It doesn't matter," she replied. "I have to protect him."

"Perhaps you can do both," Weaver spoke up.

Cameron processed that information. It wasn't logical. She could not stay here in the future without affecting the past. And John certainly couldn't come with her, not without sacrificing the future.

She had to go and he had to stay.

There was no way around it.

"I don't understand," she admitted.

"What if we told you there was a way for you to be with John again and still fulfill your mission to protect young Connor?" Weaver asked.

Cameron ran through the scenarios again, trying to figure out what Weaver had in mind. Everything came up blank. "How?" she asked.

Weaver smiled and even John Henry offered her a goofy grin, suggesting that he, too, knew what Weaver had in mind. Cameron turned and slowly closed the door behind her.

***************

**Serrano Point**

**TDE Chamber**

John swallowed hard as he stepped away from TDE, having already programmed in the date. He still couldn't believe this was real. It had been a whirlwind. She'd only been with him for less than a year and now she was getting ready to leave again. She entered, her face stoic and emotionless, but he knew for a fact that it was just a cover.

She could hide her emotions better than he could. It didn't mean she wasn't feeling them.

She stepped into the chamber, walking up to him and pulling the necklace over her head. "You should keep this," she said, dropping it into his open palm. He fought back a wave of tears as his fingers closed around the ring that she'd never got to actually wear properly.

"It doesn't go through," she added.

He put it over his head and tucked it under his shift, offering her a small smile. Cameron walked over to the panel and John watched, clenching his fist to dispel the urge to go over and smash the thing to pieces, prevent them from going through with this.

"What are you doing?" he asked, seeing her at the control panel. "I already programmed the time machine."

"But I need to give myself a few days to reach your location," she replied bluntly. "It would do no good for me to arrive too late." When she looked up, he could see it in her eyes. She was hurting as much as he was. John felt the tears coming.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way, Cameron," he choked out softly. She stepped into the middle and gave him a smile.

"Don't worry," she said. "Everything will work out fine."

For her maybe, he thought bitterly. She would get to be with him again, reliving the experiences. But it wouldn't work out for him. He'd still be here, completely alone in the fight against Skynet.

And when he won… if he won… he'd have no one to share it with.

But he couldn't be angry with her. It was impossible. The blue lights began to flicker and John backed up out of range, into the darkness that was dimly lit up by the blue blur of the time displacement waves.

Through the tears glistening in his eyes, he could still see Cameron standing inside the bubble, her eyes locked on his. "I love you, John."

He saw the blue flash and called into the void, hoping his voice would follow her through time. He couldn't see, but as Cameron landed in the past, she heard his voice carry through the spark of blue lightning.

"I love you, too."

John sank to the ground with a moan, staring at the empty place she'd been. His heart was breaking, but he knew this had to happen. No one else would protect him with the same devotion and love as she did. Because no one else could love him like she did. No one else could have turned him into the leader he was destined to be, could have taught him everything he needed to know.

But it devastated him. How much loss could one person take?

This was the end of an era. The end of the year 2027 – one that John Connor had just dubbed the year of sorrows.

In less than twelve months, he'd lost his mother, Allison, Marcus, Max, Kyle, Star, Danny, Seth, Derek, Jesse, Riley, and Cameron. And that was still only scratching the surface of the losses during this war.

_There's only one way for you to be safe… and that's to be alone. _

She'd said that to him last night, assured him that she meant alone from humans not her. But it hadn't mattered anyway. Because John _was _lost and alone. Completely and utterly.

He couldn't believe what he had just done. There must have been another way, something else he could have done. He hadn't tried hard enough, hadn't looked long enough for a way where he wouldn't have to send her. Because as he knelt, in grief-stricken agony, staring at the place Cameron had been moments ago, he knew he'd never be the same. He knew what he'd done.

He'd just sent his heart away.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: SAVANNAH: It's like he's shut down. He's lost. He's lost the will to lead, to fight. Even to live. [Savannah visits John inside the TDE chamber] SAVANNAH: If you don't get a grip, we are dead! We need you to lead us! PERRY: Skynet built another time machine. We need to find it. CODY: I'll do it. I'll find it._


	53. Born to Wake

_bryan0711 – Actually J0hn Henry said it perfectly. The whole reason I went with the time loop theory was because T1 operated on a time loop theory._

**Chapter Fifty Three**

**Born to Wake**

**Serrano Point**

**TDE Outer Chamber**

Savannah felt a deep sorrow in her heart as she saw John Connor sink to his knees inside the inner chamber of the TDE, slow sobs racking his body. Her heart went out to him, though she knew nothing in the world could comfort him right now.

John Henry was at her side, observing John curiously. "Why does he cry?"

"Because," Savannah replied softly. "He had to send her away today. You know this."

"He loves her," John Henry stated. "He didn't want her to go."

"Of course not," Savannah replied. "But letting her stay would have ruined the timeline. He has to do this in order for humans to win the war."

"Sacrifice."

Savannah nodded. John Henry had said it perfectly. "Yes. It's a sacrifice." She looked up at him, feeling tears in her own eyes. "In this war, I've seen many people sacrifice parts of themselves, arms, legs, an eye. But John is different. He hasn't sacrificed anything physically. He's sacrificed his heart."

"Love."

"Love is sacrifice," Savannah replied.

John Henry's face seemed to light up at the revelation. "Yes. Love is sacrifice," he repeated. She looked over. Had he finally been able to understand what it was? The basic at least? Ever since she'd been reunited with him, she'd been working, trying to get him to understand emotions, human things. Ellison had been teaching him morals and she'd been teaching him the rest.

But he'd never quite seemed to grasp it. Watching John and Cameron had certainly helped with his development. He'd seen evidence of love.

Now, he would see grief.

*************

**Serrano Point**

**TDE Inner Chamber**

John sat motionless on the floor of the TDE chamber, his head resting on his knees, his eyes still staring at the spot where Cameron had disappeared. He couldn't grasp the situation, still couldn't believe what had just happened.

_She's really gone, _he thought despondently. _And I'll never see her again. _

It was like watching her die all over again. And this time, there was no chip to go retrieve, no way to bring her back to him, no way to ever see her again. His throat tightened.

_Happy birthday, John Connor, _he thought bitterly.

Today. His twentieth birthday, officially. Had Cameron known? Had she known that she left on his birthday and that was why she threw him the early party? It made sense. Why should he ever be granted a normal birthday?

He had a history of horrible birthdays, couldn't remember a birthday where he actually felt _happy_. His sixteenth had been the absolute worst… and the best. The worst because Cameron had turned on him, trying to kill him. The best because… well, that was when she'd first told him she loved him.

But this time… there was no good part about it.

Cameron was gone. He had nothing. Nothing left.

He'd been stupid, blind, thinking he could cheat destiny and keep her here. He hadn't been prepared for it, not in the least bit. He'd thought that maybe he would actually be able to hold on to _something. _He thought that maybe he would get to have a happy ending.

_Wake up, John Connor_, he thought dryly. _There are no happy endings. Not for me_. Not for anyone he knew. Had he ever seen a happy ending aside from what was in the movies? Not for his mother and Kyle. Not for Charley. Not for Derek and Jesse. Not for Riley and not for Allison. He thought that maybe he would be different, that maybe he and Cameron would be the exception, that they might have a happy ending.

But he'd only been kidding himself. Of everyone in the world, why would _John Connor_ get to have a happy ending? He was the _least _likely to be happy. He'd lost everyone: his father and mother, his uncle, everyone he'd ever cared about. He'd lost Cameron.

At this point in time, even if he beat Skynet, he'd be alone. He'd never be truly happy again, never be whole again. A piece of him had died when his mother had, a piece of him had died with Allison. But Cameron… when Cameron had left, what remained of his heart had shattered. There was nothing left to live for. Even if he beat Skynet, he'd still have lost.

So what was the point in going on?

What was the point is fighting any more?

He shook his head. There was none. He remembered something Cameron had said one time, "Without John, my life has no meaning."

Well, without her…

He felt exactly the same way.

**************

**Serrano Point**

**Savannah's Bunk**

Savannah paced back and forth in her bunkroom, trying to figure out what she could possibly do to help John. Nothing was coming to mind, except maybe jumping to the past and bringing Cameron back, which of course was out of the question.

Cody was sitting motionless on the bed, his eyes downcast, his lips tight. He hadn't said much at all since she'd told him about the situation, how Cameron had gone back in time, leaving a distraught and depressed John Connor behind.

"He's been in there for three days," she spoke up quietly. Three days and John hadn't moved from that spot, as if he was hoping beyond hope that Cameron would reappear and everything would go back to normal. But he had to know the truth, deep down.

More than that, she realized that John Connor had just… _quit. _

"He's not well, Cody," she said. "It's like he's shut down. He's lost. He's lost the will to lead, to fight. Even to live."

Cody finally looked up, his face twisted in grief. "I don't know how we can help him. Anything we say is just… there. It won't get to him, it won't bring him back."

"Cameron would hate this," Savannah murmured, more to herself. What else did John have in the world? Besides…

"Sam," she suggested. "Maybe he would respond to Sam." She knew that Cameron had given him the dog and Sam had always considered himself more her dog than anything, but he was still John's loyal companion, someone who would never leave him.

And he was probably going crazy at not being able to find Cameron.

She hurriedly reached over and grabbed Cody's hand, yanking him to his feet. "Come on!" she urged. "We have to get Sam and help Connor."

She pulled him out into the tunnels. First, she checked John's private quarters, but didn't see Sam inside. Where else did Sam like to go?

"The mess hall," Cody suggested. "He's a dog right? And dogs like food?"

"Right!" Savannah said, perking up. They entered the mess hall, not seeing Sam, but spotting Captain Reynolds and the two Dekker boys sitting at a table. She walked up, forcing a smile.

"Have you all seen Sam?"

Reynolds raised an eyebrow. "Sam who?"

"Sam," she repeated. "John and Cameron's dog? The German Shepherd."

Understanding lit up Reynolds' face. "Oh, that one. Yeah, he's come in here several times over the past few days. Looked mighty upset if you ask me. Wouldn't let anyone touch him, just kept running through, sniffing around, and running back out. Like he's looking for someone." Reynolds frowned. "Where _is_ Connor?"

"Busy," Savannah said, hesitating momentarily. "Thanks for the information."

Reynolds smiled, seeming a bit puzzled. "Uh, you're welcome."

Savannah and Cody left the mess hall, both of them with faces of dejection. "He's looking for her," Savannah said, leaning against the wall. It was positively heartbreaking. Sam had been searching the entire bunker for three days, searching for Cameron. And he couldn't find her or Connor for that matter, since John was still locked in his self-inflicted jail cell.

Cody sank to the ground. "He'll come this way eventually," he remarked. "He'll keep looking."

Savannah slowly joined him on the floor, feeling helpless. "I don't know how to help."

"He needs time to grieve," Cody replied.

She looked over. Cody knew all about grieving and loss, more so than she did. "Maybe you could talk to him," she suggested. "You've lost both your parents."

Cody looked away. "He won't listen. Not yet at least. Nothing will get through to him."

Savannah's face twisted. Cody was her best friend, and it hurt her to see him in pain. Clearly recent events had only reinforced the loss that he felt. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

Cody shook his head, his eyes still out front. "Don't be. It's not your fault."

"It's not anyone's fault," she reminded him.

"It's Skynet's fault," he shot back. "If Skynet hadn't attacked, they wouldn't have sacrificed themselves so we could escape."

Savannah was about to reply when she heard the clattering of canine claws against the floor. An instant later, Sam came around the corner, running down the hall, stopping to poke his head inside every open door before continuing on.

When he came past, Cody caught him by the collar and made him sit. "It's okay, Sam," he whispered.

The dog whined pitifully, trying to scamper away from Cody and continue his vigilant search for Cameron. Savannah gently stroked his head. "Shh, Sam. We're bringing you to John. We're going to see John, okay?"

Sam seemed to perk up at John's name, but she knew he couldn't understand anything else. Cody kept a firm grip on Sam's collar as they headed back towards the TDE chamber. When they reached the biometric lock, Savannah suddenly realized there was one thing they'd overlooked.

"Um, only him and Cameron had access right?" she asked.

Cody's face fell. "Blast it…" His eyes lit up a moment later. "We can get Weaver!" He handed her Sam and headed off back down the hall.

Savannah knelt down beside Sam, stroking his fur and biting her lip. Sam was barely paying any attention to her, his eyes seemed to be darting everywhere, his muscles tensed.

She felt a pang of grief. Sam would never be able to understand what had happened to Cameron, never get to see her again. But at least he would have John.

If John ever decided to start living again.

Cody returned moments later with Weaver, his face a mask. "Don't let him see," he said crisply, gesturing to Sam. Savannah understood. Seeing Weaver take Cameron's form momentarily would be undeniably cruel. She pulled the dog out of the hallway, waiting to hear the door of the TDE chamber whoosh open.

She brought Sam back around, seeing Cody staring at Weaver who was now back in her original form.

"Never again," he said in a low voice. "That's the only time you ever use that form, do you understand? Seeing you in her form isn't going to help him, alright? You'll make things worse. If you ever do that to him, I'll destroy you myself."

Weaver merely smiled. "Like father, like son."

Cody narrowed his eyes as Weaver brushed past him down the hall. He quickly turned and gestured to Savannah who brought Sam forward and released him. The dog darted into the room, scanning the surroundings before he sat down at the entrance to the inner chamber.

Savannah opened the door and Sam darted in, nearly bowling over John, who was still seated in what seemed to be the exact same position. Savannah entered after the dog, watching with an aching heart as Sam wagged his tail, whining happily, trying to get John's attention.

John himself was unresponsive, almost as if he was in shock. She slowly came over to his side. "John… it's Sam. Your dog."

Sam licked his face and John finally took notice of the dog, stroking his fur gently. But there was still nothing in his eyes. They were dead, something that sent a chill through her. Something had been missing in John Connor ever since Cameron had left. She could see it, in his eyes, the way he acted and the way he didn't.

John Connor had given up.

She leaned closer, desperate to make him understand. "John, you can't do this," she insisted, her voice wavering. "You have to come back to us. We need you here, now!"

He still didn't respond and she felt a flash of anger. He couldn't do this. Couldn't abandon them all to Skynet. They needed him to lead, to fight, to _win!_

"If you don't get a grip, we are dead!" she insisted vehemently. Maybe the cold hard truth would snap him out of it. "We are all dead! _You _are dead! We need you to lead us!"

John finally turned to look at her and her breath caught in her throat. She could see it now, the absolute emptiness.

As she stared into his haunted eyes, she realized the truth. And it broke her heart.

Because John Connor was already dead.

***********

**Serrano Point**

Cody Phillips wasn't sure how to help. Anything he could say to John would go right through him. As long as John remained in this state, closed off and unresponsive, nothing anyone could say would get through to him. And there was no way John could lead anyone right not, not when he could barely think straight.

Cody entered the meeting room, where Major Perry, Captain Reynolds, and pilot Blair Williams were talking.

"Skynet built another time machine," Perry was saying. "We need to find it somehow…" he trailed off when Cody entered.

"Where is Connor?" he demanded. "He needs to get in here."

Cody felt a burst of anger. "Hey! John Connor just lost the one thing in life that means the most to him. He's in no condition to lead right now."

"But something has to be done. _Someone _has to!"

"I'll do it," Cody cut in before he could even think twice. A moment later, he froze. Had those words actually come out of his mouth? No one could handle this job like John Connor could. But helping out until John was well again was the least he could do. "I'll take the squad out and we'll search for the TDE, alright?"

Perry raised an eyebrow, both disapproving and curious at the same time. Cody ignored the glance, nodding towards Nathan and Blair. "Let's go."

As they headed to the hanger, Nathan leaned in closer. "Am I missing something?"

"Probably," Cody said shortly. "Did you know that Skynet has rebuilt its time machine and sent a machine back to kill John? Did you know that he had to send Cameron back in time to stop it? Did you know that unless we find that TDE, they'll keep using it to try to change the future?"

Nathan blanched. "Um, no. Not really."

"We don't even know where this new TDE is," Blair cut in. "How do we find it?"

"Same way he found the first one," Cody replied. "He sent scouts right?"

"And it was a lucky break that Kyle Reese even found it," Blair protested. "He followed an HK that was carrying parts to finish building the thing. If this one is already operational, what trail can we follow to find it?"

Cody paused, turning to the two of them purposefully. "Okay, so where is a logical place for Skynet to put its new TDE?"

"Underground," Blair stated.

"In space," Nathan said at the same time. Cody gave him a look and Nathan gave him a crooked grin. "You asked."

"Seriously," Cody continued.

"Someplace far away from Serrano Point," Blair replied. "Skynet wouldn't want it anywhere near us. We'd be able to find it too quickly."

"Or maybe they did put it close to us thinking we'd expect just the opposite," Cody replied.

Blair frowned, studying him. "Stop playing games. I can tell that you know something. So where is it?"

Cody hid a smile. "Las Vegas."

"Be serious," she scolded.

"Oh, I am," Cody replied. "Technically it's the Hoover Dam. Beneath it, actually. One of Skynet's Research and Development posts."

Blair crossed her arms. "How you figure that?"

"Well, I spent the last forty-eight hours sitting in front of a computer cross-referencing and analyzing Skynet's movement patterns and transmissions from bases, calculated its logical next move and coupled it with Logan's knowledge of all the SRDs worldwide and concluded that the Nevada SRD is the most likely place for Skynet to set up its new TDE. The water source provides it with a power supply to run the rest of the facility and its location is ideal to remain hidden."

When he finished, Blair uncrossed her arms, looking reluctantly impressed. "Wow. Really?"

Cody shrugged. "Nah. Heard it from John Henry's spy."

He turned around, savoring the huff of annoyance from Blair. At her side, Captain Nathan was chuckling.

"You know, I like him. He's got spunk."

"Alright, spunky," Blair called. "But I didn't think you could fly an A-10."

"We'll be going by truck, not plane," Cody replied. "Skynet's air activity has increased in the last few weeks. We don't want to get caught by an HK."

Blair gave him a wry smile. "Did John Henry's spy tell you that too?"

"No, that I actually looked up myself," he admitted.

About three hours later, Cody was sitting in the driver's seat of the truck, almost at the California/Nevada border. Nathan was in the passenger seat and Blair was in the back, scanning the area.

"Hey look!" Nathan said suddenly, pointing up ahead. Cody saw the figure standing in the road. It was female, he could see, but it was too far away to recognize who – or what – it was.

Nathan peered through the binoculars and Cody thought he saw a flash of metal. "It's got a gun!" Nathan shouted. "It's a machine! Go on, hit it, hit it!"

Cody was seriously beginning to wonder if the Captain really understood that they were still in a life and death struggle for survival. Then again, maybe that was just Nathan' personality.

He shot a blast of his plasma rifle at the machine. Its head kicked backwards and Cody plowed into it with the truck, nearly bouncing out of his seat as they ran it over. Still, Nathan was right. It was completely satisfying.

"Roadkill," Nathan remarked with a roguish grin. Cody looked back at the Terminator on the ground. That had to have been a plasma shot to the head anyway, he realized. It was probably terminated.

To his surprise he saw the machine slowly rise to its feet. And he saw a silver ripple near its head. Liquid metal, he realized with shock. The Halypsion outer sheath had stopped the plasma bolt from doing any real damage.

The machine looked up right at him and he suddenly recognized it. It was the same face as the T-X he had destroyed inside the Gray Base.

He felt paralyzed. _T-X. Did they escape the nuclear blast? Or was this one just out on a mission and managed to avoid it?_

"Drive!" Blair shouted, snapping Cody back into action. He hit the gas, the truck lurching forward.

"What is that thing?" Nathan demanded. "Isn't one shot supposed to make it… you know, dead-like?"

"It's a T-X," Cody reported grimly. "Liquid metal. It's--."

The entire truck jerked and Cody looked back to see that the T-X had caught them and was hanging onto the back. Blair yelped and dove up into the front seat with Cody and Nathan.

Cody whipped the wheel, throwing the T-X off balance as she tried to climb up into the truck. Nathan turned and shot his plasma rifle at her hand. The bolt didn't do any damage, but it forced the T-X to release her grip on the truck, dropping off onto the ground as the truck kept speeding away.

Cody glanced back, seeing her roll deftly to her feet and keep pursuing their truck.

"Faster, faster!" Nathan demanded anxiously. "Faster would be better!"

"Relax!" Cody shot back. Everyone shouting would do them no good. He needed to stop that thing somehow. And the only thing he knew of that could stop it was –

"Blair!" he called crisply. "Check in my bag, quickly!"

Blair did as ordered, grabbing his bag from the back and opening it. "What am I looking for?"

"There's a gun in there. New."

Blair pulled it out, looking confused. "What is it?"

Despite the situation Cody grinned. He knew that would come in useful sometime. "They called it the CryoBlaster," he explained. "Shoots a stream of liquid nitrogen."

"Nitrogen," Nathan repeated. "Why?"

"It'll freeze the Halypsion metal," Cody replied. "It's the only thing I know of that will stop it, short of a nuclear explosion or a temperature that equals that of the Human Torch in supernova state."

"You read comic books?" Nathan demanded, creasing his brow.

"My parents were time-travelers battling humanoid robots," he retorted. "Science fiction runs in the family."

Blair hefted the CryoBlaster and aimed it at the back of the truck. Cody risked a glance back, seeing that the T-X was still gaining on them. He jammed his foot on the gas pedal.

"Blast it, why doesn't this thing go faster?"

Blair had a hardened look on her face as she aimed the weapon. As soon as the T-X lunged to grab hold of the truck, Blair shot, the blast of freezing nitrogen hitting the machine. It dropped off the truck and Cody saw it try unsuccessfully to get up. Temporarily frozen, just like the one in the Gray Base had been.

The only problem is, he didn't have Weaver here to kill it for good.

"Stop the truck!" Nathan shouted.

Cody obliged, though his instincts were encouraging him to run. "Why?" Nathan didn't answer, merely jumped around to the front of the truck and started messing around with its engine. Cody exchanged a look with Blair, who shrugged.

A moment later, Nathan emerged with a small square object. "Nuclear Power Cell," he said as he ran over to the fallen T-X and placing it right beside her head. _Right, _Cody remembered. The Resistance had outfitted all their vehicles with the power cell, which eliminated the need for gas and made them run quieter. He started the engine, relieved to see that there was still half a tank of regular gasoline, maybe enough to get them to Nevada.

Nathan climbed back in and Cody took off as fast as he could, putting as much distance between them and the T-X as possible. Only a few seconds later, he heard the explosion and pulled the truck over, looking back to see the tiny mushroom cloud where the T-X had been moments ago.

He gave Nathan an approving glance. "Very nice," he admitted.

"Very nice indeed," said another voice.

Cody whipped his head around to see a group of soldiers approaching, guns at the ready. "You Resistance?"

"Yes," Cody said boldly. "Who are you?"

"Beckett," the man replied, still eyeing the trio warily. "You John Connor?"

At first Cody wondered how the man had gathered that, then realized that the man had obviously noticed that Blair and Nathan were following his lead, and he did seem pretty young still.

"Um, no," he replied.

Beckett smirked. "He making you fill in for him?"

Cody bristled. "No! I volunteered for this!"

"So where is the esteemed leader of mankind?"

Cody didn't like the man's attitude towards John. "He's having a bit of a… personal crisis."

"Crisis?" Beckett repeated, amused. "Like what?"

Now he'd trapped himself. Cody winced. He was sure John wouldn't like having everyone know what he was dealing with. Then again, the John who was holed up in the TDE chamber probably wouldn't care.

"Loss," he replied simply.

Beckett snorted. "I think we've all seen that. He better get his head on straight. So do you. Where you headed?"

"The Nevada SRD," Cody replied. He noticed that Beckett gave a start at the mention. "Skynet has a secret weapon there we're in charge of destroying."

Beckett chuckled dryly. "Might as well forget it."

"Why?" Did Beckett not think them capable? "We have a load of C4…"

"You'll never make it in alive," Beckett cut in. "I saw you destroy that T-X up there, but there's something you should know. We've seen a bunch of them in the area lately. Heading right towards Nevada, probably to guard that secret weapon."

Cody felt his heart sink. More of them? Had more escaped the destruction of the Gray Base? "How many?"

Beckett shrugged, glancing at his friends. "Twenty? At least?"

"Twenty…" Cody suddenly felt his blood run cold. What about the nuclear attack on the Gray Base? That should have destroyed them! The whole freaking army of them!

Unless… that Gray, Alex Castle, had stalled John for a while when Kirk went down to check the hostage situation. Alex said he was trying to save lives, but what if he'd really been stalling so that he could send the T-X units out and away from harm? Or even if Alex wasn't lying, the machines themselves would have known the danger. They could have escaped in underground tunnels or anything.

Blair and Nathan looked over, both their eyes filled with grief as they realized the same thing he did. They knew what it meant. The goal of that mission had been to destroy the T-Xs. The several hundred casualties had been a sacrifice, conducted by Rogue Terminator Solo. But if they really _hadn't_ taken out the T-Xs, it meant that all those people – those Grays, those captive resistance fighters – had all been killed for nothing.

They'd launched nuclear missiles on a base filled solely with human beings.

Cody felt sick, nauseous.

Beckett narrowed his eyebrows. "Not looking too well, little man," he said coolly. "You'll never get into that secret weapon with only three of ya. My advice? Go back to Connor. Make him remind us why we follow him."

Cody wanted to reply, wanted to zing back a nasty retort that would defend John Connor. But his mouth wouldn't open, words wouldn't form. The news had rocked him, rocked them all.

He cleared his throat, trying to compose himself. "Thanks," he murmured. "We'll…" He cast a quick glance over at Blair and Nathan. Neither met his gaze. "We'll go now," he finished.

As he turned away, he couldn't shake it. Couldn't get rid of the awful truth.

Several hundred humans lives, thrown away for nothing. John had believed the sacrifice was too high a price, but now, the entire thing had been worthless anyway. There was no silver lining, no good thing that came out of that attack.

It had been murder.

Not war, not strategy, not sacrifice.

Murder. Plain and simple.

***************

**Skynet Research and Development Station**

Her eyes opened and she winced at the bright light shining down on her. Where on earth was she? What had happened? Was she dead? Faintly she heard voices, none of which she recognized. But they appeared to be talking about her.

"The subject is ready for deployment," one voice said.

_Deployment? _What did that mean? What were they talking about?

"All the proper modifications have been made?" another asked. This one sounded more human. "She's ready for duty?"

Ready for duty? That's right. She was a soldier, a Resis—

_No. _Not in the Resistance. The Resistance was the enemy. She frowned, wondering where that thought had come from. It was almost as if an outside source was implanting the suggestion inside her mind. But that wasn't possible, was it?

"This is our chance," the human was saying, his voice sounding excited. "We'll finally be able to get to John Connor. This is the perfect way."

There was a sudden urge, a voice in the back of her mind ordering: Find him. Kill him.

"John…" his name escaped her lips in a whisper. The two dark figures turned to regard her.

"We're taking a risk with this one," the human said nervously. "Her previous connection to Connor…"

"…is what will allow her to get under his guard and complete the mission," the Terminator finished. It stared down at her, its human face blank.

She was confused, still so confused. Everything that happened recently seemed to be so fuzzy…

"What is your name?" the machine asked.

"My name…?" She repeated. In a flash, it came back to her, along with a slew of other memories that seemed to conflict with what that little voice in her head was saying.

I'm Resistance.

_No, you're with Skynet. _

She didn't have a mission to kill John Connor. What was it talking about? She didn't _want _to kill him.

_Kill John Connor._

The Terminator was still waiting for her answer, staring at her with piercing eyes. She took a deep breath.

"My name is Allison… Allison Young."

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: CODY: The T-X army is still out there. We need you. CAMERON: You've come too far to give up now. [John clicks on his mother's tapes] SARAH: I promised you I'd stop this, and I will. JOHN: This is gonna kill it? YELKOV: Zere is someone here to see you. [John enters the room, his breath catching in his throat.] JOHN: Cameron…?_


	54. Born to Return

**Chapter Fifty Four:**

**Born to Return**

**Serrano Point**

**TDE Chamber**

Cody approached the biometric scanner outside the TDE chamber, letting the beam run over his eyes and confirm his identity. Not long after John's… condition…had been made known, John Henry had added both Cody's and Savannah's biometrics to the system, giving them access to see John… and hopefully talk him into taking up his responsibilities again.

Cody approached him cautiously, taking in the young General's appearance. It didn't seem to have changed much. In the first few days, John had a haunted look in his eyes, almost like he had gone into shock. Now, his eyes were still blank, but it wasn't a vacant stare anymore. It was just… grief-stricken. He'd completely and utterly lost the will to go on.

"Savannah told me you went on a mission," John said, his tone dull and emotionless.

_At least he's speaking now, _Cody thought to himself. "Um, yeah," he said, hesitating momentarily. He really didn't want to report the T-Xs to John, not right now, but Connor deserved to know. He needed to know why they still needed him.

"The T-X army is still out there," he said hastily, bracing for John's reaction. But – not surprisingly if he thought about it – none came. "They didn't get destroyed like we thought."

He saw John's face twist in agony. "So it was all for nothing? We killed those people for nothing?"

Cody bit his lip. But what could he say to that? There was nothing, no words at all. Except ones of understanding and encouragement.

"It's not your fault," he began. "You tried to call off the attack. It was Solo who went against orders."

John remained silent, staring straight ahead and Cody felt an unreasonable anger start to rise in him. This wasn't the John Connor he knew. This wasn't the John Connor who had led the human resistance through years of war. The John he knew wouldn't shirk his responsibilities, no matter how great the loss.

"Listen to me," he pleaded. "I know how you feel…"

John shook his head ever so slightly. "No, you really don't."

"I've lost too," Cody retorted, his voice cracking. "I lost both my parents. They died, sacrificing their lives to save me. And to save Savannah and Ellison and Danny." He swallowed hard. "They died for me. And nothing can ever make that better. Nothing is ever the same. That feeling of loss is always there... but you have to move on." What would get to John? The words of his father, maybe?

"Pain can be controlled. You just disconnect it."

He saw the flash of confusion on John's face but it disappeared instantly. "Where'd you hear that? Kyle was gone before you came along."

"My father told me about him," Cody said simply. "Kyle Reese is a legend in the Resistance."

John had already retreated back into his mind again and Cody sighed. "Cameron would want you to move on. We need you. I need you. And Savannah needs you and the entire human resistance needs you! You need to wake up and get back in the game!"

John didn't seem to respond at all, so Cody simply nodded to himself. "Okay… we'll check on you later."

He backed out, trying to shove down his frustrations. Though he had to admit, John had done well up to this point. With all he'd seen, all he'd done, all he'd lost, Cody was surprised he hadn't cracked before now. But when he did, he did it hard.

He met Savannah in the bunkroom and she instantly leaped up, her eyes betraying her concern. "How is he?"

"Same," Cody said shortly.

"I talked to Lauren," Savannah began. "She said what he's dealing with is basically post traumatic stress. Grief and depression."

"But it's not _just_ depression," Cody retorted, shaking his head. "There's nothing normal about this kind of depression. Normal people didn't have to send away the person they love through _time _so that the rest of the world would live."

"Aren't you being dramatic?"

Cody shook his head adamantly. "No, I'm not. What would happen if he'd kept her here? The timeline would be screwed. There'd be no John Connor, no Rogue machines helping us. The Resistance would have been destroyed, finished. Skynet would win. In order to prevent that, he had to sacrifice his love, his heart. He sacrificed his future so that the rest of mankind can have one. How does one cope with that?"

"How does one cope with that," she repeated softly, shaking her head. "Cody…"

"Give him the tapes," Cody said suddenly.

"What?"

"The tapes that his mother made him," Cody replied. "If anything can get through to him, Sarah Connor can." Only Sarah Connor and Cameron had ever had that great an effect on John Connor. And obviously, since Cameron couldn't help, maybe hearing his mother's voice would snap John out of it.

Savannah nodded, obviously agreeing with him on that aspect. "Okay."

**Serrano Point**

**TDE Chamber**

John wasn't sure how much time had passed. Savannah and Cody seemed to come in every day with a can of food and some pointless conversation that he barely listened to. What was the point? He was done. Done with everything. Done with _life. _The only reason he hadn't made that official was that he didn't have a weapon with him and didn't want to leave the TDE chamber.

Why couldn't they understand? There just wasn't a _point _anymore. He'd sent her back to ensure his survival… but what kind of existence was this? Forced to lead a losing battle? Forced to watch everyone he loved die horrible deaths, suffer horrible fates while he lived on through the pain? When was it his turn to escape from it all?

Even Cameron had escaped from it. His face twisted into a frown. No, he realized. She really hadn't. He'd sent her back in time to replay everything all over again. Her escape would never come. She couldn't die like he could. She was in an endless loop. Go back, save young John, give John Henry her chip, have her entity dumped onto the new chip in her new body and start all over again.

He heard the door open and out of the corner of his eye saw Savannah approach hesitantly, clutching something in her hand. He didn't look over.

His voice was etched with grief when he said, "I trapped her in a constant loop. Forever."

She was quick, he'd give her that. She seemed to understand right off the bat who and what he was talking about. "That means she has an eternity of being with you."

"It means she has to relive everything," he replied bitterly. "The fights, how I was such a jerk to her…"

"You scrubbed her memories, didn't you?" Savannah asked, bewildered. "She won't remember it. It will be new."

He didn't make a move to reply and she set something down in front of him. "Yelkov finally fixed up the DVDs," she said. He took a quick glance down and saw the portable DVD player, his tape player, and a stack of tapes that had been sitting on his desk. "I figured you may want to see your mother."

He resisted the urge to grunt in disgust. What good would it do to hear his mother's voice? She was still dead too, just like everyone else he loved. But instead, he remained silent and Savannah soon stood up and retreated. For a while, he just sat there, his gaze being drawn to the tapes.

Finally, unconsciously he reached out and hit play on the recorder, felt his heart wrench at the sound of his mother's voice playing off the tape he had left in there.

"I don't know what the future will hold for you," Sarah was say, her voice young and strong. "You'll grow up to be… a great leader, a great inspiration. And I hope that I'll be there to see it, but if not, I hope that you'll find someone. I hope that someday you'll get to experience the joy and love that I had for Kyle. And I hope it lasts longer than two days."

He looked away. That was just the thing. Sarah would never truly understand. She'd always been the lone wolf. She'd only had Kyle's support for two days. Of course, he wasn't denying that the two loved each other, that Sarah had been devastated when Kyle died. But it wasn't the same. He'd known Cameron for years and they'd been through so much together. It was a lot different losing an entire half of your soul. Maybe Sarah could bounce back and keep fighting, but he couldn't anymore.

When Cameron had left, so had his will to fight.

He opened the DVD player and grabbed the discs. There was one more than he remembered and the extra one wasn't labeled in any way. He stuck it in first, preparing to see his mother or Danny on the screen.

He was entirely unprepared to see Cameron instead.

"John…" she said.

He could feel his heart skip a beat and his breath come out in a quiet gasp. She'd left him a message? When had this happened? Oh, how he loved seeing her face again…

"I know what you did was hard," she was saying. He could see the hint of emotion on her face. "I know you're hurt and I'm sorry. You have to understand that I didn't want to leave you. But this has to happen. You – and I – have to make that sacrifice. Because sacrifice is the key. The key to the entire war." Her voice and eyes turned pleading, almost exactly like when she'd been begging him to let her go, that she was fixed, that she loved him…

"Please, John," she said desperately. "I know you'll want to give up, but you can't. You've come too far to give up now. They need you to be strong and to be a leader. Your mother believed in you and I believe in you. You're the only one who can stop Skynet and that's what you have to do. Don't let our sacrifice be in vain."

He could feel his eyes burning as she smiled on the screen. "I love you, John."

The screen blinked out and he felt an incredibly longing fill his heart. He quickly rewound it, heard her voice say "I love you, John" again and paused it, soaking in her image.

What would she think of him now? Sitting here, moping, contemplating suicide, giving up… He felt a thrill of horror shoot through him, one of the first strong emotions he'd felt in a long time.

_What am I doing? _He was John Connor! Hero of the Resistance, leader of mankind! Why was he still in here? What was _wrong _with him? He stood up abruptly, feeling his face flush with anger at himself. How much time had he wasted? Cameron was right. He couldn't let their sacrifice be in vain. He needed to lead, needed to fight.

He picked up the other DVD, one about his mother's research and slipped it in. Now was time to concentrate on a way to stop Skynet. For good. Forever. No more sitting around, no more shirking his responsibilities.

He felt emboldened, empowered. That was the effect she had on him. Even when she wasn't here anyone, her words, her voice, it had still inspired him. As he began listening to his mother's research, he felt his sense of purpose come flooding back.

John Connor had returned.

**Serrano Point**

**Tech Room**

Cody stood in front of Michael Logan, Ellison, and John Henry with his hand on his chin, deep in thought. "The TDE is going to be tricky, especially if there's an army of T-Xs waiting to kill us."

"Uh, yeah, that's usually a problem," Logan agreed.

"So we don't focus on the TDE," Cody responded. "We focus on Skynet. A way to stop it. Permanently." He pointed a finger at Logan. "What was your strategy to defeat this thing? You and Sarah Connor and Danny were working on something."

Logan cocked an eyebrow. "You were there when we planned it."

"Um, yeah but I was still a kid," Cody protested. Wasn't that obvious? "It's not like I remember the intimate details. I doubt even Sarah Connor remembered everything. She probably had Danny explain some of the technical things on that tape."

"I never really understood the premise myself," Ellison admitted.

"Perhaps I can help," John Henry added with a cheerful smile.

Logan gave him a dubious look. "We already had a plan in place. But we didn't have the ability to enact it. I'm still not sure if we do."

"So refresh my memory," Cody cut in. "Start at the beginning."

Logan shrugged, relenting. "Okay, well, Ellison, why don't you start?"

Ellison nodded. "Sarah Connor, Danny, and I learned that our original plan to defeat Skynet was not enough."

"From my parents," Cody cut in.

"Right," Ellison agreed. "They told us that there would be a Skynet II. Since our first idea for killing the first Skynet used a software virus – which worked thanks to John Henry – we decided that this time we'd try to break Skynet through the hardware internet infrastructure instead…"

**Serrano Point**

**TDE Chamber**

John sat cross-legged on the ground, the miniature DVD player in his lap. On screen, his mother was sitting inside some kind of computer laboratory, and he could see her eyes go misty, as if she was truly imagining him sitting there watching this.

"John," she began. "I promised you I'd stop this, and I will. We've been working as hard as we can finding out new ideas and research strategies. If you're watching this, you've no doubt been to Zion and found Ellison, Danny, Savannah… and Cody. I hope that our first plan worked and that you were able to defeat the first Skynet. We've learned from a… friend…" She cast a quick glance backwards and he could see two figures in the background, shrouded in darkness.

Maybe they were Cody's parents, the ones who were sent back to help her. He frowned at the look on her face. He'd seen another tape where she looked like that, back when she was telling him about her new friends. They were important to her, he realized.

He had speculated on who it was that he would send back to help her that she'd get so attached to, but always drew a blank. He'd eventually concluded that maybe they had saved her life or maybe it was because they had Cody. Maybe she liked having a kid around again. Maybe Cody had reminded her of him, her runaway General son.

"We went to a chip factory in Irvine, California," Sarah continued. "Broadcom Corporation, one of the leading communications chip companies. They specialized in EPHY chips. According to Danny, they are Ethernet Physical Transceivers…"

**Serrano Point**

**Tech Room**

"In 2011, they came to my company," Logan explained. "Broadcom Corp. At the time, we owned more than fifty percent market share of the world's Ethernet chips and have shipped more than two billion Ethernet ports since 1998."

"So Broadcom is a leader in these EPHY chips," Cody concluded.

Logan nodded. "Exactly. The EPHY chips were our specialty."

"The EPHY is a silicon chip which implements sophisticated digital signal processing techniques to convert the computer's digital data into analog signals that are transmitted through the copper wire and optical fiber cable," John Henry added.

"Meaning?"

Logan decided to put it simply. "The EPHY is much like the tires of a car that allows us to travel through the internet superhighway. Where the 'rubber meets the road' as people used to say."

Cody nodded once to say he understood. Technically, this was his first real time hearing this since he hadn't really been able to comprehend it when Sarah had first discovered the method.

"The purpose of the EPHY is to physically connect each computer to a repeater or switch," Logan explained. "The switch connects each computer to one another based on a unique Internet Protocol address. If the IP address does not match any of the other computers connected to the switch, then the packet traffic is sent out to the internet. The EPHY chip is the physical hardware glue that holds the internet together."

"So if we disable the EPHY chip, the internet falls apart?"

"You could say that," Logan agreed.

Cody frowned. "So how do we disable the chip if it's inside the internet?"

Ellison began talking again. "That's what we were trying to find out. Sarah and Dyson searched the Quality Assurance database that contains all customer issues with Broadcom EPHYs. In particular, they were searching for failing conditions that totally incapacitates the chip."

_To replicate it, _Cody added mentally. It was very reasonable of them.

"It took weeks of hard labor and compiling data, but eventually Danny found a unique problem with the EPHY that causes it to overheat and distort the transmitted signal if power is not interrupted," Ellison finished.

"How?" Cody asked.

Logan flashed a smile. "That's when they came to me. They called me up and explained their problem and offered me a job at Zeira Corp. It was a better job opportunity and a higher salary, so naturally I decided to come in for the interview. But instead of asking me questions, they took me down into the basement and showed me… everything. The TDE, the Turk, one of the machines…" He cast a quick look at Cody. "She explained about things to come and that Skynet would go online in 2011."

"You believed her," Cody stated.

"Of course," Logan replied. "I'm was a computer scientist faced with all that hard evidence. I joined the team, as you would say. Sarah never much liked working with me. I guess she just has a problem with anyone who can actually enjoying working with computers and AI. Danny and I found it fascinating."

"And the EPHY chips," Cody prodded. "You found the flaw?"

"We found an inherent problem in the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet specification that was created by DARPA with regards to the amplitude voltage adjustment of the signal on the wire. There were hidden control bits that are accessible to the firmware which enabled the amplitude voltage to exceed the turn on voltage of the CESD diodes, which are used to protect the chip from a short burst of static electricity when a copper or fiber cable is plugged into the Ethernet port. However, when the CESD diodes are inadvertently turned on by the high signal amplitude, it heats up by conducting excessive current through a phenomenon called 'thermal runaway'. In a silicon diode, the temperature increases as more current flows which in turn further increases the temperature and current in a positive feedback until enough current flows through the diode to heat it up and cause it to malfunction by distorting the signal. The CESD protection circuit is designed for short current bursts and not for a sustained current operation. This was a major oversight in the specification that was not easily detected."

When he finished, Cody was staring at him blankly. The words had basically gone in one ear and out the other. "What's that in English?"

Logan smiled sheepishly, as if he just remembered that he wasn't talking with fellow computer geeks. "There is a flaw in the internet specification that can heat up the EPHY chip's static protection circuit which was originally designed only for short bursts of current and not a sustained flow. This flaw can be activated by increasing the amplitude voltage of the EPHY chip's signal through hidden control bits in the software."

"Cranking the juice," Cody said aloud. "So all EPHY chips have this same problem?"

Logan nodded. "Yes, because they were all built using the same faulty specification. When an EPHY chip heats up, the transmitted signal becomes distorted thereby preventing the receiver from successfully decoding the transmitted information. Either way, this will bring down the internet connection permanently until the board which contains the EPHY is rebooted."

"Which means the internet infrastructure in the world can be semi-permanently destroyed and then restored," Cody agreed.

"Danny and I created the software code that induces the failure," Logan said. "We gave it to Sarah for safekeeping and I don't know what happened to it…"

**Serrano Point**

**TDE Chamber**

John picked up the other DVD and turned it over, staring at it curiously as Sarah's voice continued.

"Enclosed is the software code that will cause the EPHY chip to fail," she explained. "We call it the 'Angel of Death.' You can convert it into a virus code and download it into every computer in the world using Skynet's internet infrastructure. We don't think Skynet will notice it because it is so small and seems harmless. All it does is access the control bits of the EPHY chips that are connected to the internet infrastructure. But if all goes as planned, it will bring down the entire internet."

John held up the "Angel" disc with a new respect.

"According to Danny and Logan," Sarah went on. "Skynet will be forced to power off to protect the computer system from the virus. With the network down, it won't be able to call for help or send commands. It can't escape to form a counter attack. It's trapped, like an octopus without tentacles."

"So this is gonna kill it?" he said aloud.

Sarah's face twisted as if she could hear him. "There is one small thing…"

**Serrano Point**

**Tech Room**

Cody leaned forward, his eyes alight with excitement. "This is gonna kill it?"

"Even though I was aware of the weakness I did not install any countermeasure to protect the EPHY chip from the virus," Logan confirmed.

"Not even when you were a Gray?"

He saw Logan flush a little at the mention, but he shook his head adamantly. "No. I was trying to _keep _Skynet from becoming too powerful, not make it invincible."

"So this _is _gonna kill it right?"

"It'll make it stop," Logan replied. "Trap it. Destroying the internet infrastructure isn't enough to defeat Skynet. This smaller virus could be successful, but anything larger will be detected easily and immediately destroyed." He frowned, deep in thought. "We _can _destroy Skynet _after_ the internet infrastructure is disabled because it can't escape or call for help. The only problem is, we need a more powerful program than Skynet to defeat it once it is trapped."

The door burst open and Cody stared in shock to see John Connor standing in the door way, his face completely serious. But he actually looked _well. _Like the General had just returned.

"Connor," Logan greeted, his voice equally grave. "We have a problem."

"I know," John replied, striding forward. "I've been listening to my mother's tapes. The plan is good. But we need a code powerful enough to destroy Skynet, which we don't have."

"What about John Henry?" Cody asked. Hadn't John Henry killed the first Skynet?

John shook his head, quickly dismissing that idea. "John Henry's code isn't more powerful. Skynet II would have killed him in SRD if Weaver hadn't unplugged him."

"How so?"

John glanced at John Henry, but the machine remained silent, almost encouraging John to speak. "Skynet II is even more powerful than the first. Remember the singularity? Skynet built a better version of itself and it became active when John Henry killed the first Skynet. There was a black code on the screen that would have completely engulfed his own if Weaver hadn't been there to save him."

"Oh," Cody remarked. "Right." He'd forgotten about that. "Thanks for explaining."

For a moment, he saw a flash of utter shock on John's face. "What?"

Cody frowned. "What?"

"What did you say?"

What had he said? _I just said thank you, didn't I? _"Um, thank you?"

"For explaining," John finished slowly. "Cameron used to say that."

"I'm pretty sure she's not the only one," Cody pointed out, though he understood completely.

John nodded, his eyes distant. "Just.. the way you said it."

"You explained something… and I was grateful," Cody said helpfully. "How else do you say it?"

"Never mind," John dismissed it with a wave of his hand. A moment later his face looked torn again, though. "I just… can't stop thinking about her."

Cody felt completely sympathetic. "I know. It's okay." Hey, at least John was alive and well and outside that chamber. And he looked like he was refreshed, rejuvenated.

Ready to fight.

"So we're back to the beginning," Ellison spoke up. "We're at a standstill."

"Unless we find a code that's more powerful, that strategy won't work," Cody agreed.

John frowned deeply. "It is a good strategy. There must be something…"

The door burst open and communications tech Yelkov entered, looking hurried. His eyes widened with shock at seeing Connor out and about.

"General!" he gasped, snapping his hand up to salute.

John returned the gesture. "Yelkov," he said. "What is it?"

Yelkov hesitated, that horribly confused look back on his face. "Um, zere is someone here to see you."

John frowned. "Who?"

"Honestly… I don't know," Yelkov replied. "I thought zey were both gone."

John's brow furrowed and Cody racked his brain. Was anyone missing in action that he knew of? Who would be out there?

"Where?" John asked crisply.

Yelkov gestured down the hall. "In ze meeting hall. I put her in zere because people were staring and she was uncomfortable. She vants to see you."

Cody shifted his attention to John who was no doubt as confused as anyone. Finally he started forward and out the door, leaving Cody and everyone else in the room as bewildered as ever.

**Serrano Point**

_Who? _

Try as he might, John couldn't think of anyone who would be asking for him. Everyone he knew was gone. Maybe it was Blair… or Kristin Hamilton. They could be asking, right? I mean, he'd practically been AWOL for the past month or two, in self-imposed exile in the TDE chamber.

As soon as he turned into the meeting room and saw who his visitor was, his heart stopped. Absolutely stopped dead and suddenly John felt like he was going to pass out.

_No… _He was crazy, absolutely crazy. It was all that time being locked inside those four walls. His mind filled with agony. _Great. Leader of mankind and I'm delusional. _

Hallucination. It had to be.

Because Cameron sure as heck really wasn't standing here in front of him. His breath came faster. But… what if it actually was? What if he wasn't seeing things? What she had truly come back? It was wild and crazy but he had to know…

"Cameron…?" he whispered.

Her beautiful face twisted into an expression of pain and she took a step forward. "John, it's me… Allison…"

His mouth dropped open. This was a dream. A nightmare, actually. Or maybe a ghost. Savior of mankind sees dead people...

Despite himself, he took a tentative step forward. "No… you're dead," he said, as if she wouldn't know already. "You… you died, I saw you…" He'd held Allison Young's dead _body _in his arms because he'd been too late to save her. Was this punishment for abandoning his responsibilities and moping for a month? He was forced to see visions of people he hadn't been able to save?

Cameron – Allison – The _ghost-vision-thing _looked utterly confused. "I remember her breaking my neck… then I woke up and I was confused and scared…"

He could have laughed. This was impossible… absolutely impossible.

He was delusional, clinically insane. He should be in a nuthouse, up in Pescadero with his mother. They could be cellmates…

Or… there was another possibility. Maybe it wasn't Cameron or Allison. Maybe it was… an _it. _Another TOK, another Skynet trick. He instantly was on guard. She certainly didn't look like a machine, but who could tell these days? He took a tentative step forward and reached out to put a hand over where her heart would be if she had one.

And to his utter shock, he felt it.

She had a heartbeat. She was human… _real._

Was it possible to trick your mind into thinking you were touching a hallucination? Was that part of it? Could he be in a dream and not realize it? A dream looks real and it feels real, but how do you know it's not real?

_Sometimes you don't._

But John Connor knew. In that instant, staring into her wide, frightened brown eyes, it was as if everything became crystal clear. This wasn't a dream, wasn't a vision or a hallucination.

His mouth dropped open in absolute astonishment. There was no way, no possible way she had survived. And yet… it was.

It was Allison Young.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: JOHN: Cameron told me that they'd put your body in… cold storage… No… you're here to kill me! Skynet brought you back to kill me! ALLISON: No! YELKOV: Connor! Machines in the base! [Triple 8 reaches out and grabs Allison by the throat.] JOHN: Allison!!_


	55. Born to Grow

**Chapter Fifty Five:**

**Born to Grow**

**Serrano Point**

John stood, still paralyzed in absolute shock at the girl standing before him. It wasn't possible. He'd seen her die, right? He'd _known _she was dead. Had held her body in his arms, seen her lifeless eyes.

So how on earth could she be standing here in front of him?

Allison gave him a weak smile. "Hi…"

"Hi?" he returned, still dumbstruck.

Allison fidgeted, looking awkward and nervous and confused. "I really don't know what to say…"

John quickly cleared his thoughts. He needed to get the bottom of this… whatever this was. "You could start with how you're still alive."

Allison faltered, her face contorting. "I don't know. I don't remember anything. I remember her grabbing my neck…" She trailed off, her voice going quiet. He tried to figure that out. Amnesia, perhaps? Well, no, because she _had _been dead when he found her. Had her heart started back up? How long could someone live – or rather, be dead – before they've passed the point of no return?

But her neck was broken. And now it wasn't. There was absolutely no way he was wrong about that. Sure, it would have healed by now. It had been about a year, but one can't survive with a broken neck. She'd been dead, he knew it.

Allison glanced around, still seeming out of place and uneasy. "Is Cameron here?"

John felt that familiar pang in his heart and he swallowed hard. "No," he said. "She's… gone."

Allison remained silent for a moment before asking, "Did she give you my message?"

John vaguely recalled it. Allison's message to him about forgiving him even though she knew he had betrayed her. "Yeah. She did."

Allison's face twisted. "How could you do that?"

"Do what?" He felt his voice rising.

"Love her."

John scowled. "What? You think I can control who I fall in love with?"

"But she's a machine…" Allison protested. "She's one of them."

"No, she's not," John said shortly. He shook his head, trying to make himself understand her side of the situation. "A lot has changed around here. Machines are our allies."

She didn't seem to be listening, her eyes filled with unbearable grief. "I thought you loved me…"

And John felt ashamed. "I did," he replied softly. He bit his lip, wincing. "_Do," _he corrected. "But… it's different. And it's even more different now. I mean… you were _dead." _

There was no easy way to do this. He'd met Allison on his first day in the future and he'd thought she was Cameron. He'd grown close to her, loved her even. It was a different kind of love than he'd had with Cameron and he'd definitely been heartbroken and devastated when Allison had died. But then Cameron had come back and he… well, he'd never really given her much thought after that. He'd done as Kyle suggested. He'd buried it, disconnected the pain.

And having her back, after he'd just lost Cameron… he honestly didn't know what to do. They would never be the same, neither of them. Too much had changed, too much time had passed.

On one hand, he was stunned and overjoyed to see that she was alive. But all he could think of when he looked at her was Cameron and how he'd never see her again.

Allison seemed to understand perfectly, even through the insecurity she still obviously felt. She always had been perceptive. "I just… want us to be friends," she said softly. "That's all."

John groaned, putting his head in his hands. Why was this so difficult? Everything was easier when he could just sit in the TDE chamber and grieve. Because in there, he'd still felt connected to Cameron somehow. And, yes, a small illogical part of him had hoped that maybe she would decide she couldn't live without him and come back. Of course, that would never happen. Because technically she _was _living with him and she knew how important it was to fulfill that mission.

He heard a clattering of dog nails on the concrete floor and looked up to see Sam enter, his tail wagging, tongue hanging out. But as soon as he caught sight of Allison, the dog completely froze. John didn't even know if dogs could display a look of horror, but Sam was showing it right now.

He whined, looking up at John with his puppy dog eyes, obviously confused by Allison, as if he knew it wasn't really Cameron but was utterly baffled by her appearance.

Allison, on the other hand, had a huge smile on her face. "Max!"

John felt the tear in his heart as he said, "It's not Max. This is Sam. Max… died…"

Allison's face crumpled as she looked down at Sam. "It looks just like him…" she murmured, more to herself. Her eyes met John, looking crushed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said curtly. "It was a long time ago."

He saw her wince. "How long was I…" She trailed off, unable to bring herself to say the word "dead."

"A year," John replied.

"So now it's--."

"January 2028."

He heard several footsteps approaching and realized that Sam must have attracted their attention. A group of them entered, with Logan and Ellison and Cody leading the pack, curious as to who was meeting Connor.

When Cody saw who it was his face paled as if he'd seen a ghost. Which, John admitted, he kind of was…

"John," Cody began, his voice pained. "Who is that?"

"I think… it's Allison Young."

A loud voice echoed down the hall, "Where's the party?" Captain Reynolds entered, bearing a wide grin. His eyes locked on Allison and his eyebrow raised as he stepped forward.

"Welcome back, Cameron," he said happily. "I thought you was long gone."

Allison stared at him. "I'm not Cameron."

"This is Allison Young," John put in.

Nathan looked back to Allison, squinting. "Well now, that is confusing. You her twin?"

John cut in, "They're not twins. She's human." Allison seemed uncomfortable under the stares of so many people she didn't recognize. He quickly began ushering them out. "Okay, get back to your duty. There's nothing to see here."

Except the resurrected undead person who looked exactly like his former second in command and cyborg love.

Allison seemed to be scanning the crowd as they left, searching for any familiar face. "Where's Kyle?"

John bit his lip. Of course she'd ask about Kyle. Kyle had been like a father to her. Kyle had taken her death hard too. "Allison… He's gone. He's been gone for a while. He went back in time."

"Back… in time," she repeated, trying to comprehend the idea. "Like you?"

"Well, I came forward in time, but that's not really the point," John replied. "You've been gone a year. Most everyone you know is gone. Derek… Jesse… Kyle…" His eyes lit up. "Well, Lauren and Sydney are still here. Oh, and Blair!" His face fell. "Never mind, you don't know Blair, but she helped me rescue you."

"Rescue me…"

John nodded. The situation was weird, no doubt, but already he was beginning to feel comfortable around her again. So what if she was confused and didn't remember anything? He'd help her. Maybe if he refreshed her memory, she'd remember what happened after he left and could tell him how the heck she was still alive.

"We came to the barge," John replied. "We snuck on but… I was too late. You were… you were already dead."

Allison pursed her lips. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" he snapped. She flinched and his face instantly softened. _Pull it together, Connor, _he ordered himself. He was positive. He'd held her dead body. He'd seen her lifeless eyes. This was still so surreal… "You really don't remember anything?"

Allison looked away, as if trying to recall the moment. "I remember her choking me. Then… nothing." She switched her gaze back to him. "So what happened?"

"Well, then we had to get out there quickly and I had to leave you behind and we had a memorial service here and put up a marker and everything. Then Cameron came back and told me that they'd put your body in…"

He trailed off his eyes widening in comprehensive horror. _Oh, God, please no_… it wasn't possible… it was insane!

Allison had frowned as soon as he stopped speaking. "In what?" she prodded.

"Cold… storage…" He looked up into her perfectly human eyes, suddenly feeling a jolt of terror. "No… you're here to kill me!" He stumbled backwards out of his chair.

Allison's eyes had gone wide with shock. "What? No!"

"That's it!" he insisted. "That's the plan!" _I hate Skynet, hate it, I hate it, I-- _"Skynet brought you back to life to kill me!"

Her face flushed and she rose from her chair. He instinctively jerked backwards, keeping distance between them. _She's here to kill you, Connor. I should have known…_

"John!" she protested.

"You're supposed to get close… get information, something!"

_Allison Young is dead. I saw her die. _They had just used her body, put in a chip or something, anything to convince him that she was human, to let his guard down. Allison's face was tearful and for a split second, he _almost _believed her.

"John, please stop…! I'm human! You felt my heartbeat!"

"You're not the only machine I know who has one," he said darkly.

"What?" There was utter confusion on her face and he scowled.

"Don't play games with me," he snarled. "Tell me! Tell me there's not an order to kill me!"

"I--," suddenly she ended abruptly, hesitating. He knew it. He subtly reached for his gun, moving his hand slowly so she wouldn't detect the movement.

_It's not Allison… it's a machine, a trick_…

"There's a voice," she admitted. "Like in my head telling me to kill you but… I don't want to. It's like its not even my voice…"

He frowned, keeping his gun holstered. That didn't sound very Terminator. It was almost like…

"I want an X-ray," he demanded. "I want to see a scan. I need to see if there's an endoskeleton under there."

Allison stared down at herself in disbelief. "That's not possible!"

"I have to know," he said through gritted teeth.

The door burst open again and he turned angrily, having half a mind to beat up whoever kept interrupting them. Instead, he saw Blair Williams standing in the doorway, her face determined.

"Connor! Machines!"

Her eyes landed on Allison and he saw her face freeze, her mind working through possible scenarios. "It's Allison," he offered. Instantly, he could almost see all her theories fade away.

"What?"

"It's her," he replied. _Well, at least I think so. _

Blair's mouth opened but she quickly shook her head. "We can talk about that later. Right now, we've got machines inside the base."

"Inside?" he repeated, his heart sinking. "How?"

"Skynet discovered the land mines," Blair replied. "It used an HK to fly over Serrano and drop a few machines down. Looks like standard Triple 8. They must be keeping the T-Xs at that TDE site."

"Right," John agreed, readying his plasma rifle. He cast a quick glance at Allison who was looking around, itching for a weapon of her own.

_Do I trust her? _What if she really was a machine? What if she really was trying to kill him? Giving her a weapon would make it that much easier. He pulled on the battle armor Ellison had given him for his birthday and grabbed the extra plasma rifle, tossing it to Allison.

"Stay in front of me and don't turn around," he ordered sharply.

She looked hurt at the request, but she did as she was told, walking in front of him. As they crept out into the hall, he wondered if he would actually do it. If she turned around, would he shoot her? Would he be able to?

He imagined his finger freezing on the trigger, his eyes locked on hers, seeing Cameron in them. He ground his teeth together in frustration. If he let down his guard like this, he would never be able to do what was necessary.

He tightened his grip on his rifle as he followed Allison towards the sounds of gunfire and screaming. They didn't even reach the site of the attack when a machine stepped out of the shadows, its hand reaching for John's neck.

Before he could think or discourage her, Allison shoved him out of the way and stood before the Terminator, her eyes filled with fear and resolve. The machine paused, staring at Allison curiously as if it recognized her… as an _ally. _

Ally or not, it obviously decided that she was impeding its mission and must die. It reached forward and grabbed Allison by the throat.

John felt the cry torn from his belly as the machine wrenched its hand, expecting to see Allison's body crumple to the floor, her neck broken… again.

Instead, nothing happened.

Her neck _didn't snap. _

The Terminator tilted its head and Allison, recovering from her shock, slammed her rifle up under its chin and pulled the trigger. The plasma blast decimated its head.

John was still staring in shock when she turned around to face him.

And he could see. There's no broken bones in her neck, not even a mark. And she was staring at him, as if shell-shocked.

The words escaped his mouth in a whisper, "What's happened to you?"

She shook her head slowly. "I don't know."

**Serrano Point**

**Medical Wing**

John opened the door of the infirmary, clearing his throat when he saw Lauren inside, putting a bandage on the wound of a soldier injured in the ambush. She looked up briefly when she saw him.

"Reynolds and Cody got the other machines," she reported. "But there was a lot of wounded. Nine casualties."

John shifted uneasily, glancing out into the hall where he'd ordered Allison to wait. "Um… I have a surprise for you."

Lauren looked up, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "Are you feeling okay? I mean, I know you've been depressed but…" her brow furrowed. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

John smiled weakly. "You could say that. That's actually why I'm here. I need you to see her."

Lauren's eyes squinted. "What? Your ghost?" There was laughter in her voice but he knew that wouldn't last long.

"Look," he began, glancing down at the patient on the table. "You may want to let him go. I don't want you to accidentally hurt him."

"When I see your ghost?" Lauren repeated dubiously.

"It'll be a shock," he agreed. "Just put down all the sharp objects and why don't you sit?"

By this point, Lauren was frowning, but she did as he asked. John poked his head out into the hall. "Come in."

Allison came in but Lauren only seemed mildly surprised. "She's back?"

"It's not Cameron," he stated.

He saw Allison's face light up when she saw Lauren. "Hi, Lauren. It's me… Allison."

Lauren's face went white and for a moment he thought she would faint. "Ali…" She took a tentative step forward. "How…"

Allison glanced up at John, who kept his mouth shut. Instead, he kept his eyes on Lauren, watching as the tears began to well up in her eyes. And he felt some of the anger and frustration disappear in his own heart. Lauren had cared for Allison ever since she was a baby, had practically raised both her and Sydney and they'd been best friends.

Sydney came in, wiping her hands with a wet rag. "Lauren, I need some…" she trailed off as soon as she caught sight of her sister staring at Allison with utter shock. And he saw a similar disbelief of the younger Fields' face.

"Allison?" she breathed.

Allison smiled and within a few seconds, the three were sharing a heartfelt group hug. Which was fine. If Allison really was Allison.

"Hate to break this up," he cut in. "But we do have a problem."

Allison hesitantly looked at Lauren. "I don't how I survived."

"I want you to run a check," John broke in. "An X-ray. A scan."

"A scan," Sydney repeated. She gave a dry laugh. "You can't think…"

"Yes, I can," he retorted. "A Terminator grabbed her by the neck but her neck wouldn't break."

Lauren looked horrified and Allison glanced over at John, her eyes filled with remorse. He hated being so cold, but they needed to know. She seemed to understand the urgency because she turned back to Lauren, saying softly, "If there's metal under there, we should know."

_If I'm damaged, we should know._

_Argh! Shut up! _He cursed Cameron's voice in his head, gritting his teeth in agony. He couldn't think about her right now, especially not _that _moment.

"Do it," he snapped.

Lauren reacted to his cold tone, quickly preparing the equipment. John watched as Allison lay down on the table and Lauren began the scan. He held his breath. What would he do if she ended up being a machine?

What would he do if she didn't?

"Oh, Allison," Lauren breathed. "What did they do to you…?"

John hurried over. "What? What is it?"

Lauren seemed baffled. "It's like Marcus. Marcus Wright… only the opposite."

"What?" he demanded. "Opposite?"

"Marcus was a Terminator with a human man's brain, heart and other organs," Lauren replied.

"Yeah," John repeated. "So?"

"Allison is still a human… just partially rebuilt," she replied. "They left her alone. They left her body, her organs, everything. All they did was rebuild her broken neck with metal bones."

John went silent. At least now he knew why the Terminator hadn't killed her. "So they kept her body in cold storage, rebuilt her neck, brought her back to life and then… what? Just sent her out? To do what? They had to have a purpose." They always had a purpose.

"Here," Lauren said.

John leaned closer to the scan, seeing a small square object on the back of Allison's skull, connecting to her brain somehow. "A chip," he realized with a sinking heart.

"Trying to control her brain," Lauren added.

John backed up, trying to process that. "They tried it with a male model," he began. "Marcus was the first. Then they tried a female, one close to me. They were trying to harness human brainpower." He remembered what Allison had told him about the voice inside her head trying to make her kill him. But it hadn't seemed hard for her to resist it. "It's still not working, not the way Skynet wanted."

"Get it out!" Allison cried, panicking. She reached up to her head, as if to rip it out of her skull with her bare hands. John leaned over her and grasped her arms, pinning them to her side on the table.

"You can't just rip yours out like Marcus did," he explained, glancing up at Lauren. "She needs surgery to remove it."

Lauren bit her lip. "I'm not sure if I can…"

"Of course you can!" John insisted. "Skynet stuck it in there without killing her! Okay, granted, she was already dead, but still!"

"I want it out," Allison said, sobbing softly. "Please. I don't care if it kills me…"

John stared back at Lauren. "You heard her. Do it."

Lauren took a deep breath and John turned to leave. As he did, Allison called out behind him, "John…"

He turned around seeing her face twisted in tear-stricken agony. "I'm sorry." And suddenly he felt crushed. Here she was in a strange new time with new people, having just learned that she had been killed, brought back to life, and implanted with a chip to be Skynet's assassin. What would he be thinking in that situation? She was no doubt scared out of her mind, searching for a caring face and not even finding his arms open.

"Me too," he said softly. And he meant it. It wasn't her fault this was happening to her. In fact, this never would have happened if he had told her about the trap in the first place instead of trying to ensure Cameron's creation. If he had told her, she may never have gotten captured. She would never have been killed and she would never have been in this awful situation.

He felt a wave of guilt.

If anyone was to blame for this, it was him.

**Serrano Point**

**Mess Hall**

Savannah sat in front of John Henry in the mess hall, talking with him as usual. John Henry had a lot of questions to ask about Allison and John and their connection.

"She's different now," he stated. "Like me. Not human."

"Not like you," Savannah corrected. "She is still human. It's just like having a prosthetic leg. That doesn't make a person less human. So she has a prosthetic neck."

"And a chip," John Henry pointed out.

"Which they are removing," Savannah replied evenly.

"Are there others like me?"

Savannah smiled. "Not exactly. There are many machines, but none of them are as good as you are, John Henry."

"I've been thinking about the song we used to sing," he replied. "'Donald Where's Your Trousers.' I attempted to get Ms. Weaver to sing it before we found you again but for some reason she wouldn't."

Savannah suppressed a grin. Singing didn't exactly seem like something the stoic T-1001 would do. "I'll sing with you."

She saw his face light up and she began, "Let the wind blow high, let the wind blow low, through the streets in my kilt I'll go…"

"All the lassies cry hello," John Henry chipped in. "Donald where's your ---." He froze suddenly and she frowned.

"Trousers," she supplied, laughing. "Come on, John Henry. It's the name of the song." John Henry hadn't moved. In fact, it was as if he was completely frozen, like a statue. She felt a flash of fear.

"John Henry? What's wrong?" Was this a glitch? Some kind of computer thing? "Hey, help!" Only a minute later, Cody rushed in, his face stricken at seeing her tears. "He just froze and I don't know what's wrong…"

Suddenly John Henry's head snapped back up again and he looked around, seeming confused.

"John Henry!" Savannah exclaimed. What had happened? How?

John Henry didn't seem happy. He looked up at Cody. "Would you bring Ms. Weaver and Mr. Logan?"

Cody nodded quickly and rushed off.

"What happened?" Savannah demanded.

"I've been experiencing glitches in my programming," he replied. "Sometimes it causes me to freeze. I have to self-reboot, but am unsure of what caused the problem."

Logan and Weaver entered and John Henry repeated the symptoms. Logan listened intently, but seemed just as puzzled. Weaver spoke up first.

"Let's perform a diagnostic check using the supercomputer in Sarah Connor's secret room," she suggested. "That should tell us what we're dealing with."

Within half an hour, Logan and Weaver had completed the diagnostic and Savannah was seated worriedly in the swivel chair across them.

"What's wrong with him?"

Logan turned, but his face didn't seem concerned or upset. "John Henry has outgrown the power of his chip and storage memory."

Savannah made a face. "Meaning? He needs a bigger chip?"

Logan smiled. "Not exactly. This TOK chip is one of the most advanced. There's no other chip we can use for him."

Savannah felt a jolt of fear. "Then what will we do?"

He must have seen the panicked look on her face because he quickly held up a hand. "Don't worry. John Henry is fine. We've uploaded his entire code into this supercomputer. He now has room to grow and become more mentally advanced."

Savannah was dubious. "So he's in the computer now? How do we talk to him?"

"Like this," Logan replied. He attached an cord to the back of John Henry's head. "An optical umbilical cord," he announced. "The CPU is still in his head so that a subset of his programming can be stored here for his body to run errands for his landlocked CPU."

Savannah raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean? Is he stuck there on the cord again?"

"No, no," Logan replied. "He can still access this body to interact with everyone. Then he can upload the acquired information after he gets plugged back in. His main… entity is in the supercomputer. But we use a short range encrypted wireless communication link between his main CPU – which is this computer – and his body. It's slower than the umbilical cord connection but fast enough for him to control the body in real time and view his HUD."

Savannah winced. So basically, he would normally stay plugged into the computer, just like he used to be when he was stuck in her basement. Which made sense. He could expand and grow and learn better with that much room. It wasn't all condensed into one chip.

If John Henry could live with that, so could she.

**Serrano Point**

**Medical Wing**

_Darkness._

_She felt cold, alone, afraid. What had happened? A bright light flicked on and she saw the man standing in front of her. Not a Terminator, a human. One of Skynet's._

"_My name… is Allison."_

_He smiled but there was no warmth in it at all. It was chilling, repulsive even. She glanced around the room, not recognizing anything. Everything was cold and metallic, uninviting._

"_Who are you?" she demanded. "Where am I?"_

_He shook his head. "That is not the question you should be asking yourself. What you should be asking is who are_ you?"

Who am I?

"_I'm Allison," she repeated. "Allison Young. I'm in the Resistance…"_

"_Really?"_

_Of course she was. She remembered everything. Her last time with John, being captured, interrogated by her doppelganger. The machine's hand closing around her neck. _

_Darkness._

"_What happened to me?" she demanded, her voice breaking. "What do you want from me?"_

"_You have a purpose, Allison. We have big plans for you."_

_He smiled again and it sent a chill down her spine. "What plans?"_

"_You're going to do what Skynet has failed to do for so long," he replied with that eerie smile. "You're going to kill John Connor."_

"No!"

Allison shot up on the infirmary table, screaming. John was instantly at her side, having been monitoring her ever since she'd come out of surgery. He seemed guarded, but still concerned.

She felt her face crumbling. "John, please… make it stop…"

His face twisted in grief and he simply pulled her to his chest as she sobbed, clinging to him desperately. _What am I? _

"Is it gone?" she whispered.

"It's gone," he agreed. "Lauren took it out, it's over. We destroyed it."

She didn't release her hold on him. John may claim things were different now, but she knew some things never changed. He still cared, at the very least. That's who he was. He was compassionate. He was _human. _

"It'll be okay," he reassured. "I promise."

And right then, Allison felt a calmness she hadn't experienced in a very long time. She believed him fully.

Because John Connor always kept his promises.

**Serrano Point**

**Secret Room**

John stood in front of the crowd inside the secret room. Apparently John Henry had some kind of issue where he now needed to be plugged in again. So the entire strategy team had met down there to discuss the plan.

Perry, Cody, Savannah, Weaver, John Henry, Ellison, and Captain Reynolds had all gathered in a circle, discussing various plans and ideas. Some were good, but John knew what the real priority was.

"We have to take out that TDE," John said firmly.

"But we can't get in there," Cody protested. "There's an army of T-Xs waiting for us, guarding it. Even with the CryoBlaster."

"Not CryoBlasters," John corrected with a gleam in his eye. "Cryo-_grenades_. Or bombs. We can release liquid nitrogen in the entire building, completely freezing them all while we go in and rig the TDE with Z4."

"Z4?" Cody repeated.

"Lopez and the team just finished designing it," John remarked. "It's supposed to be 25 times as powerful as C4. Though that hasn't been tested yet."

"It doesn't matter," Cody protested. "This whole plan is crazy. We can't go in there if there's liquid nitrogen in the air."

Perry snorted. "Not without turning yourselves into ice cubes. _Dead_ ice cubes," he added, as if to emphasize the point that no one can survive such extreme cold temperatures.

"All ice cubes are dead, Mr. Perry," John Henry remarked.

Perry frowned. "What?"

"Ice cubes," John Henry replied. "They are not alive, so they must be dead."

"They're not _dead," _Ellison explained patiently. "To say they were dead implies that they were alive at one time. They just _are."_

John Henry nodded solemnly. "I understand."

John glanced over at Captain Reynolds. "Mal… your spacesuits on Mercury… the ones you brought inside _Serenity_… they're built to withstand extreme temperature right? As in extreme cold? For being in space?"

Reynolds nodded. "Right."

"We need to borrow them."

Savannah held up a hand. "Wait, what are you doing?"

John grinned over at John Henry who seemed to have caught on to the plan. "We're gonna make some T-X ice cubes."

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: [The TX stalks forward and smashes her fist into John's head. Everything goes dark.] CODY: Connor's missing. Skynet has him. [A Gray paces in front of a chained John] JOHN: What do you want from me? [A machine steps out of the darkness. John's face explodes into absolute horror.] JOHN: No…_


	56. Born to Control

**Chapter Fifty Six:**

**Born to Control**

**Serrano Point**

"No," John replied brusquely as he walked up to the front of Serrano Point. Allison had been pursuing him doggedly, begging him to let her come and help.

"Listen to me," he said firmly. "You've been through a lot and I don't want to put you into any dangerous situation." Especially not since she'd only come out of surgery a few days ago. The chip, thankfully, was out of her head and she was back to normal. Normal with an incredibly strong neck at least.

Also back to normal was her caring nature and desire to lend a hand. "Let me help! Not much more can happen to me. I was already dead!"

"And I'd hate for you to die again," John said reasonably. Once was bad enough. "Please," he said, stopping in the hallways and staring at her. "Just… stay here. We can… talk when I get back."

She looked deflated but nodded once and he continued on. What kind of talk would that be? he wondered. A 'let's be friends again' thing or something more? Because he wasn't sure if he could do that again. He'd loved her once and he'd lost her. He'd loved Cameron and he'd lost her.

He lost everyone he cared about. Maybe it was better if she kept her distance. She'd probably live a lot longer.

A soldier fell in line beside him. "Remember me, sir? Captain Luke Wells," he reported. "We were at Kansas bunker together. Cody tells me I'm to come with you on this mission?"

John nodded. "That's right." He'd needed someone who wasn't crucial to their future plans, someone who could actually be sent back in time. He had a feeling it would happen now before he destroyed the TDE. After all, he hadn't sent back the list yet, but Skynet was probably sending back the assassins.

"Did Cody tell you he packed the spacesuits inside the truck already?" Wells asked.

"Yes."

"Did he tell you he suggested going by truck because of Skynet air traffic?"

"Yes."

"Did he tell you he was bringing the ironman suit too?"

"Yes."

Wells frowned. "Was there anything he didn't tell you?"

John raised an eyebrow. "If he didn't tell me, how would I know that he didn't tell me?"

Wells opened his mouth and shut it quickly. "Sorry, General."

John turned back to the entrance seeing Cody standing at attention waiting. He offered John a smile. "Ready when you are."

John glanced back down the hallway, seeing Allison still standing, watching him, no doubt hurt. He winced. Even looking at her caused immense pain in his heart. He knew they could never go back to the way they were. When Cameron left, she'd taken his heart with him. He didn't think he could ever love again.

No matter how much Allison may still love him.

John crouched beside the wall of the Skynet base, standing guard as Cody worked to power up the generator that would pump nitrogen into the base's air ventilation system.

And hopefully turning all the T-Xs inside into ice cubes, as John Henry put it.

A few moments later, Cody whispered, "Done," and backed away from the ventilation shaft. "It'll pump through the entire base in probably fifteen minutes. So suit up."

John struggled into the massive spacesuit and sealed it shut, hearing Cody's muffled voice over the helmet communicators.

"I think my helmet's on backwards…"

Wells' suit was already on and sealed and he was fumbling with his weapon. That was the only bad thing about the suits, John realized. Wearing the gigantic gloves made it incredibly hard to shoot and hard to maneuver quickly if they would need to.

"Okay!" Cody announced. "It should be safe to enter!"

John secured his helmet and took a deep breath. _Here we go. This had better work. _If it didn't… if the T-Xs were still functional, they'd be finished.

He cautiously approached the door and opened it, his fingers tensed on his rifle. The inside was practically steaming with the cold nitrogen. As they proceeded further in, he saw a T-X, frozen stiff in the corner.

"I don't believe it," Wells whispered, his voice mystified. "It actually worked."

"Of course it did," Cody shot back. "Connor came up with it."

They hurried past the rest of the frozen T-Xs and into the TDE chamber where John closed the door behind them.

Cody took off his helmet. "This place is sealed off, like its own ventilation system…"

"Probably to keep the TDE equipment from overheating," Wells agreed.

"Good," John murmured. "I didn't want to completely freeze the computers." He nodded to the TDE itself. "Besides, we need this thing to work. We can't have it frozen." He quickly hacked into the TDE panel, reading the dates that Skynet had sent Terminators to.

_This is crazy_, he thought as he scrolled through. They'd sent Fischer, some Grays, Serena, plus any other Terminator he'd ever seen. Carter, Bedell, Greenway, Sydney, Sherman, Vick…

"It's trying to kill everybody," he whispered.

Cody shrugged. "You're a threat to it. _All_ these people are a threat to it."

It didn't make sense. Skynet wasn't vulnerable. Surely it couldn't consider them a threat still. "It's got the T-X army."

"Yeah, the ice cube army," Cody snorted.

"This was before," John pointed out. "We've been hiatus for the past few months. It's _winning._"

Cody shrugged. "I don't pretend to know how the mind of the Overlord works. Skynet seems to think you're still a major threat. Maybe it has more faith in you than you have in yourself." Cody glanced down at a date on the list, racking his brain.

"That'll be a temporal error," he pointed out. "That's Stark, but he doesn't land at the right date."

_Stark? _That had been a name on the list, but John himself had never followed up on it. That must have been one Cameron had taken care of. "Who's he after?"

"Mark Wyman, governor of California," Cody explained.

John waited for him to elaborate, shrugging his shoulders to show that he didn't know who Wyman was or why Skynet would think him a threat.

"Sarah convinced him of the apocalypse," Cody began. "And he organized police forces and spoke to the public, warning them to get underground and to more secluded areas when the time came. He saved a lot of lives."

"No wonder Skynet wants him dead," John muttered. He finished scrolling through the dates. It all made sense now. He couldn't have sent individual people to stop each Terminator. He had to send a list.

"Wells!" Wells had already stepped out of his suit and was instantly at attention. "I want you to memorize these names…" He recited the information to the soldier, making Wells repeat it back.

John took off his helmet, suddenly feeling hot. He knew that the room was sealed off, but the temperature shouldn't be _rising. _"Is it just me or is something heating up?"

Cody frowned and went over to the other computer, running a scan of the building. His face paled. "Uh oh. Skynet's trying to sabotage us! It's kicked up the heat. It must have access to the heating control. Those T-Xs will be thawing out."

"Recite it!" John snapped, forcing Wells to focus. He made the soldier say it three times by heart before he practically shoved him into the middle of the TDE chamber.

Cody began powering up the TDE, watching anxiously as the blue bubble began to form. An instant later the door burst open and John turned to see two T-Xs enter. One fired a shot at the time bubble.

A split second before Wells left, John saw the bullet enter his body. The T-Xs both turned to Connor, leaving Cody a clear path to the door.

"Go!" John hissed.

Cody hesitated a brief second before bolting for the door. He turned around as he did, shooting a flurry of plasma bolts at the T-Xs, shouting. "Hey, here I am, come get me!"

One of the machines turned around and started to follow him. John hoped Cody knew what he was doing. That space suit was meant to keep temperature out, not bullets.

The second T-X remained, studying John as if receiving orders from somewhere. Then she stalked forward and in one fluid motion brought her metal fist into connection with his head.

Everything went dark.

**Outside Skynet Base**

**Nevada**

Sometimes things just worked out.

Cody had come back towards the entrance, fully expecting to find the other T-Xs waiting to kill him. But, to his surprise and extreme relief, they were still frozen solid. He'd yanked his helmet back on as he ran, realizing that this area was still filled with freezing nitrogen. Skynet's heat wave obviously hadn't made it this far yet. As well as providing his way out, it had also stopped his pursuers in their tracks.

Literally.

As he burst out and raced down towards the truck again, he ripped off his helmet and shed the spacesuit, grabbing his radio unit. "Serrano, this is Cody Phillips, come in."

To his surprise it was Cameron's voice who answered. _No, Allison, _he told himself mentally once he recovered from the shock. He took a deep breath. "Connor's missing."

"What?" she yelped. "How? You… you have to get him back!"

He hated the worry in her voice. _It's not you!_ he wanted to shout. _It's Cameron!_ _Cameron_ was the one John loved! He'd never mentioned Allison! He forced himself to breathe in deeply, regaining his composure.

Ultimately, she was right. He had to get John back. For some reason, the machines hadn't shot him on sight. So that meant they'd be taking him captive. For what, he didn't know, but it couldn't be good. He also knew he couldn't go back in there. The T-Xs would all be unfrozen and he'd be dead. His only hope was to follow whatever transport they decided to take John in.

"Don't worry," he said firmly. "I won't rest until I find him." He clicked it off without waiting for a reply, grabbing the new powersuit out of the back. Lopez had done a brilliant job with it. Made of coltan just like the Terminators, it was basically an endoskeleton that would give a human the strength almost proportionate to a Terminator. It was powered by the nuclear power cells they used for everything these days, and the weapons could be attached too. He quickly put on the suit, hooking up his IFW to the power source.

"Alright…" he said to himself as he lowered the helmet onto his head. "I'm coming for you, Connor."

**Skynet Research Station**

**Colorado**

John Connor slowly faded back into consciousness, hearing a voice talking as if right in front of him. He groggily opened his eyes, seeing a dark figure standing over a computer screen.

He tried to move, only to realize with horror that his arms and legs were strapped down to a vertical table of some kind. There was also some kind of device on his head, something very uncomfortable. John jerked, drawing the attention of his captor.

"Well, well," the man said. "John Connor… You've lived a very interesting life."

John's mind was still fuzzy. Who was this guy…? _Where am I? What happened? _He remembered getting knocked out by the T-X, but why bring him here? Why not kill him?

The man – had to be a Gray – smiled slightly as he stared at the computer screen. John felt his face freeze. Was this a Skynet base? Were they experimenting on him?

The Gray looked back at John with a sadistic smile. "Skynet would be very interested to hear that all they need to do to kill you… is to make sure Kyle Reese dies in Century Work Camp."

John gritted his teeth, not saying a word. How did this Gray know so much? "Who are you?"

The Gray chuckled. "I'm the one asking the questions here, not you."

John glanced around, spotting another figure in the darkness, staring intently at the computer screens. "Who's that?"

"Another question," the Gray remarked. "You're full of them, aren't you? Guess you'd expect that from a General who's really not much more than a kid."

John pursed his lips, clenching his jaw. What was this? What did they want from him?

"Tell me about Cameron…"

John's lips tightened, but the Gray didn't seem to notice. Instead, he was staring at the screen, stroking his chin. "Very interesting." He tipped the screen into John's view and John stared in horror.

On the screen was flashes of her – memories from _his _point of view. Memories that came into his head were instantly on the screen. John quickly thought of Kyle, watching with horror as his father's picture filled the screen, exactly the way it had in John's mind.

It was a memory reader, John realized with shock. Just like the one they'd used on Derek to erase his memory of Fischer, the one they'd destroyed. Skynet had rebuilt it somehow. And now it was flashing through his mind, his life, private moments, him and Cameron, things no one else was supposed to see. He swallowed the lump in his throat. Who were these animals?

"Where is Cameron now?" the Gray asked.

John had already forced himself to block the memory. Instead, he thought of Allison unexpectedly arriving at the base again.

"Ah," the Gray mused. "So she's still at Serrano. Perhaps we'll send someone to deal with her…"

John struggled violently against his restraints. _I'll kill you, _he thought darkly. _Whoever you are, I'll kill you._

"…perhaps Johnny here," the Gray continued. It took John a moment to realize he was referring to the shadowy figure. Its head turned to him and he saw red eyes flash. John swallowed hard. A Terminator.

The machine stepped forward into the dim light and John's eyes widened in absolute terror. "No…" he whispered. That wasn't possible.

It was _him. _A carbon copy of himself, a Terminator with his face. It stared back, its face completely calm and normal.

"Splendid isn't it?" the Gray asked, clasping his hands together in pride. "It's our new technology. You see, he watches your memories on the screen, observes how you act with certain people, learns everything about you and then I send him out to take your place."

"Why?" John demanded, still struck by the machine version of himself. "Why not just kill me?"

"Because killing you now wouldn't end the war," the Gray replied. "You've already united the Resistance. If we kill you, Cameron or one of your other allies would keep up the fight. Maybe not as well, but Skynet wants something more permanent."

"More permanent," John repeated.

"Isn't it obvious?" the Gray asked. "Skynet wants the resistance destroyed. Annihilated. If I send in a Terminator that looks and acts just like John Connor, people will treat it like John Connor. They will tell him everything, he'll have access to everything and he can plan an attack, a false attack that would lead the resistance right into a trap."

John felt his blood boil and he strained against the restraints, chaffing his wrists. "It won't work!" he spat. "They won't fall for it!"

"Won't they?" the Gray asked. He looked over at the machine. "Johnny is the most advanced human imitator yet, designed solely to act human. An AIM."

John ground his teeth together. _Yeah, I've had experience with those. Particularly one named Solo_.

The Gray gestured to the machine again. "For all intents and purposes he _is _you."

Johnny flashed John a wide smile. "This is John Connor. If you're listening to this, you are the Resistance. There is no fate but what we make."

John stared dumbstuck. It was voice, his words. Even the emotion and conviction in Johnny's voice was exactly like him. He felt a flash of apprehension. _Would _his soldiers know the truth? Would they realize that it was a machine? When it acted like that, like _him_?

Johnny looked at John with a patronizing expression. "Face it. I'm a better you than you are."

"You're metal!" John snapped. "The dogs will know."

"Ah, right. How many dogs are on base right now?"

John tried not to think about it but saw Sam come up on screen. The Gray grinned.

"Well it looks to me like precious Sam is the only dog at Serrano right now," he said. John cursed his luck. The other sentry dogs had been killed in the recent Terminator ambush. Sam had been the lone survivor and the lone dog inside the base at the moment.

"I think Johnny can avoid him," the Gray continued. "Besides, it's quite possible the dog will not even know. We've built Johnny kind of like your old friend Marcus."

John flinched. How much did they _know_?

"Not human, of course," the Gray admitted. "But enough living blood and tissue to probably fool a dog. Besides, they won't be able to deny all that Johnny knows."

John scowled. "He knows nothing."

The Gray smirked. "Go ahead. Why don't you tell John here what your most private moments with Cameron were."

John strained as he saw the memories unconsciously flash on the screen. And he felt an incredible hopelessness. He couldn't stop it… they were learning _everything_.

The Gray chuckled, leaning closer to John with a sadistic gleam in his eye. "How does it feel?" he demanded with a smile. "To know that your entire life is on display? Everything. Everything you've ever said, every secret you've kept, every private moment –."

John spat in his face, causing the Gray to shrink back, wiping his face off with a disgusted grimace. "So you've got some fight left in you. That's good. Because we're just getting started. Johnny?"

"No one is ever safe," the machine said, his face entirely serious. "My mother taught me that motto. I gave my father a picture of her. And there's a letter from her inside my Wizard of Oz book."

_Not anymore, _John thought wryly. It burned at Firebase. So take that.

His doppelganger looked at the screen to see the burning Firebase reflecting John's thoughts.

"That burned in the fire," he added. John flushed angrily. The look on the machine's face was almost gloating, as if to say _you can't win. _

"And what about Cameron?" the Gray asked. "What do you know about her?"

The machine gave a wicked smile. "Everything."

John's face twisted and he strained against the cuffs as the Gray came over, laughing and leaning close to spite John.

"One of my favorite memories was in the hotel," the Terminator continued. "Cold…" he recited, in John's exact voice, exact tone. "That's good, right?"

John's fist clenched in rage, feeling the anger burning inside his body. The Gray leered down at John before glancing up at his pet. "Johnny, maybe you should tell young Connor about your birthday night…"

John whipped his head forward, smashing it up into the Gray's face with a tremendous crack. The Gray stumbled backwards, howling with pain from the headbutt, his eyes wild with anger. He clutched his nose and pointed to the machine.

"Go on," he ordered. "Go to Serrano. Remember the plan." As the doppelganger left, the Gray turned back to John, his eyes blazing.

"As for you, I have great plans for you," he snarled. "You already know that this thing can erase memories. So we'll see how you like it when we completely erase your mind and program in new memories, memories to make you a slave, a Gray puppet. Wouldn't that just cripple the Resistance?"

John finally felt the flash of fear, but he wouldn't give the Gray the satisfaction of seeing it. Instead he smirked, nodding to the Gray's broken and bloodied face. "I'd take care of that nose first."

The Gray slammed his fist into John's mouth and John reacted instinctively biting down and causing the Gray to howl. Despite the pain from the punch, John smiled. _Never go for the mouth._

_ "_Who taught you to punch?" he asked, goading the Gray on. "Stick your thumb inside your curled fist and try it again." Wouldn't that be satisfying?

The Gray looked as if he was about to explode, but he clutched his hand and stormed out of the room.

John had bought himself some time. Probably not much, but maybe it would be enough. He still tasted blood in his mouth from the Gray's punch. He spat a mouthful in the direction of the computer equipment but it came up short from hitting anything.

He swore under his breath and leaned back, trying to identify his options. There was no way he could break out of here. Not by himself. Would anyone be looking for him? Had Cody managed to escape the Skynet base? And if he had, would he even consider the fact that John had been taken prisoner? He might have just assumed the T-X had killed him.

But one thing he did know. He couldn't allow himself to be turned into a mindless puppet of Skynet. It would be a fate worse than death, worse than what had happened to Allison, worse than anything.

He couldn't imagine not being able to remember, not knowing who his friends were, his mother, Kyle, _Cameron_… He closed his eyes in grief. It was hopeless.

He was out of energy, out of ideas.

Out of time.

It was a few hours before his Gray captor returned to his prison, a huge white brace on his broken nose. He glared at John as he entered.

"I like the bandage," John remarked sarcastically.

The Gray responded by violently driving his fist into John's face. John jerked backwards with the momentum, suppressing a groan. _That'll leave a black eye behind, _he thought bitterly.

The Gray proceeded to power up the machine. "Time for John Connor to have a change of allegiances," he said.

John kept his face stony, but inside his resolve was crumbling. He would rather die than have his memories stripped and his mind turned into a Skynet servant.

He had been half-hoping the Gray's retaliating punch would have killed him instead of giving him a black eye, crushed his nose up into his brain.

He'd rather die than serve Skynet.

He stared up defiantly at the Gray, giving him the most dangerous glare he could muster. The Gray didn't seem fazed at all.

"Don't worry," he said, grinning wickedly. "You won't remember a thing…"

He reached to activate the memory wipe when a shot rang out. John jolted in his restraints at the sound, watching with shock as the Gray dropped to the ground, dead instantly. A chunky figure stepped into view and John realized it was someone inside a coltan exoskeleton, the power suit.

The figure stepped forward and spoke in a deep voice, somewhat distorted from the speakers inside the suit. "I am Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan!" He raised a hand, displaying Spock's signature v-wave.

Even though it was muffled, John recognized the voice immediately. _Cody. _Cody had come to rescue him. "Someone let you watch too many science fiction movies when you were little," he retorted.

Cody removed the helmet, grinning wryly. "What can I say? My parents were time-traveling resistance fighters." He came over and began unlocking John's restraints. "When we watched movies like that, they used to point out what was actually correct. For example, is a flux capacitor really the key to time travel?"

"I don't know," John admitted, rubbing his aching wrists as soon as Cody freed them. "I'm not entirely sure how that thing works."

"Me either," Cody admitted. "My mother knew though. Knew the entire layout from memory. I swear she probably could have rebuilt one. I mean, if they had the right parts back then, which they didn't."

"I'm sorry," John said sincerely. "About your parents."

Cody's smile seemed forced. "Well, there's no use crying about it, is there? They're gone now."

John hesitated, quickly changing the subject. "How'd you escape the Skynet base?"

"The liquid nitrogen was still at the front of the building," Cody explained. "The T-Xs were still frozen and it froze the ones who were following me. I tracked your transport here. The TDE was destroyed."

He pulled out his bag where a few extra packs of Z4 were stored. "Now we can blow this mind control thing and get out of here."

John felt a flash of anxiety. "We have to hurry. Skynet made a copy of me and its heading back to Serrano."

Cody's eyes widened. "A _copy _of you?"

"It was watching my memories," John said bitterly. "Learning how to be more like me. I don't know if it will succeed, but it's going to try to lead them all into a trap."

Cody's face twisted in worry. "We have to get to them before that happens."

"Do you have a transport?" John asked.

"The truck's outside. It'll take a few hours to get back to Serrano so we better leave now." He handed John his IFW. "Here. This suit protected me coming in, but there's bound to be some more reinforcements coming."

John charged up the isotope and followed Cody out into the hall. "How did it look coming in? Any T-Xs?"

"No," Cody replied. "Looks like all the T-Xs traveled to the Nevada base after we dropped the nukes on the Gray base. They may start spreading out, though, I don't know."

"So we're looking at standard Triple 8s?" John questioned. "T-800s and such?"

"Most likely," Cody replied. "Or Grays."

John winced. He'd hate having to fry anymore human beings. Not after his last mission had resulted in severe human casualties for no purpose. He steeled himself, following behind Cody who was slightly taller than usual in his powersuit.

They'd almost made it to the exit when a flurry of bullets ricocheted off Cody's armor, sending John ducking for cover behind him. He craned his neck around to see that a Triple 8 with Vick's face was shooting its machine gun at them. It cocked its head when it realized Cody had protection, dropping its weapon and charging forward to go hand-to-hand.

Cody may have a protective suit, but he still wouldn't be able to take down a Terminator that way. John rolled out from behind Cody, watching with satisfaction as the isotope solution turned red right before he fired the blast at the approaching Terminator. He watched the flash of light and saw the Triple 8's head go flying and its body sink to the ground.

Cody looked over, but John couldn't see his expression beneath the helmet's visor. "Thanks," Cody said, gratitude evident in his voice.

John nodded once. "Let's get out of here."

They made it outside and to the truck without any further event. Once inside, Cody ditched the bulky suit and took the wheel, letting John man the mounted cannon, just in case any HKs happened to spot them.

Cody was speeding across the bumpy terrain at breakneck speed, but in John's opinion, it wasn't fast enough. He swallowed the lump in his throat. That _thing, _that copy of himself would enter Serrano Point and gather Perry, Ellison, Allison, Nathan… anyone important. And he'd lead them into a trap.

They'd die. All of them would die because of him.

John smacked the truck in frustration. Why did this always happen to him? Why was he always causing so much death? In all honesty, couldn't someone else have been better at this job?

Cody glanced up, his eyes worried, obviously reading something on John's face. "Hang in there, Connor," he said quietly.

_Hang in there, baby. _

John ground his teeth together. Cody may have been trying to help, but it had only stirred up a worse memory. Memories of Allison before her capture, memories of him betraying her by not warning of the trap, memories of him cradling her body in his arms, too late to help.

And her showing up on the doorstep a year later, as bright eyed and beautiful as he remembered. He should have been overjoyed. And he was, truly. He was glad she wasn't dead.

But all he could think about was Cameron.

And now, Allison was stuck at Serrano Point, with the false John. She'd die again.

All because of him.

Cody pulled the truck to a stop and they moved the rest of the way on foot, not wanting to alert the false John or the Resistance. If that thing was already on the inside, they'd probably assume that he – the real John – was the machine.

Better to keep a low profile for now.

John spotted Serrano up ahead and surveyed the situation. No one seemed to be out on patrol…

"You think we beat the doppelganger?" Cody asked, crouching in the shadows.

John shook his head. "Not a chance. It left before us and it probably used a faster transportation. Maybe even a Moto-Terminator." _It's in there, right now… _They had to play this carefully, had to convince the others that he was the right John. Because they'd probably be on fake John's side right now.

"Let's check it out," Cody suggested. He started forward through the darkness. Right when John took a step to follow, it happened.

A tremendous explosion rocked Serrano Point, blasting it apart from the inside out and sending chunks of concrete and flames spewing everywhere. John and Cody ducked for cover, covering their heads. John could feel the heat on the back of his neck from the explosion.

He rose shakily to his feet, mouth dropping open in shock as he observed what remained of his headquarters. The entire building had been obliterated, surrounded by rubble and fire.

John stared at the burning flames, feeling paralyzed with ice cold fear and horror. "No… God, please, no…"

Serrano Point was gone.

Along with everyone inside it.

**To Be Continued...**

**

* * *

**_Next Week on Born to Fight: [John raises a grenade launcher and fires at Savannah. John Henry grabs her.] [An explosion blows Allison into the air.] ALLISON: We need to talk. Please. JOHN: Things can't just go back to the way they were. We're different now. ALLISON: You're still John. And I'm still Allison. [John moves forward, gently pressing his lips up against Allison's.] _

_Author's note: I_'_d rather live in books - There are four more chapters after this one._

_shadowwriter01 - Hmm, you have a good point. I actually never considered that._

_J0hn Henry - I give you props for the Sarah terminator idea. I wish I would have thought of that myself. :)  
_


	57. Born to Deceive

**Chapter Fifty Seven:**

**Born to Deceive**

**.****  
**

**Two Hours Ago...**

**Serrano Point**

**Entrance**

Nathan Reynolds leaned against the wall, taking his shift as guard at the Serrano entrance when he heard a knock on the door and a familiar voice call out, "Hey, open up!"

_John! _Nathan realized with delight. Connor must have escaped from his captors. He hesitated before opening the door, peeking out through the hole. It certainly looked like John Connor, but one could never tell these days.

"How do I know you're not a machine?"

The kid gave him a classic John Connor eye roll, sighing. "Mal…"

Nathan grinned. Of course it was John. It completely acted like him and few people knew Nathan's nickname. "Just messin', Connor," he said, opening the door. He was aware of Cameron – no, not Cameron, _Allison, _he reminded himself. Boy, that was powerful confusing, with the two of them lookin' exactly the same.

Allison's face was filled with relief when John entered. "What happened?" she demanded. "Cody said you were captured."

Connor looked utterly confused, his face twisted into puzzlement. "Captured?" he repeated. "_Cody_ was the one captured! I was trying to follow the transport that took him."

Nathan made a face. That couldn't be right. "Cody called us. Said _you_ was the one Skynet took."

Connor was deep in concentration. "Are you sure it was him?"

Nathan glanced over at Cam—err, _that girl_ who looked like Cameron - suddenly unsure. "Machines can mimic voices right?"

"Right," Connor agreed.

"So… it was a trick?" That Girl deduced. "Cody's the one captured?"

Connor winced. "I'm afraid so. I don't know how I'm going to tell Savannah…"

_Right, _Nathan remembered. Cody and Savannah were real buddies, best friends or something chummy like that. He frowned and nudged Connor playfully.

"How do we know _you're_ not the machine?"

John raised an eyebrow, but Nathan pressed forward. "When did we meet?"

"September 5th, 2027."

"Ha!" Nathan said. "That proves it! Only a machine would know that."

Connor still looked confused. "You know it too."

Nathan paused abruptly, his face blank. "Well… um… right…"

Connor turned to That Girl, his face serious again. "We need to tell Yelkov to block all calls from Cody – the Terminator Cody."

"Are we going to rescue the human Cody?" Nathan asked.

Connor looked over at him again, nodding once. "Yes. I have a plan, a new target for us."

This sounded like something for the rest of the high-ranking soldiers to hear. "Hey…" He stared at That Girl, blanking once more on her real name. "…You," he finished lamely. "Go get Major Perry and anyone else with a gun and a brain."

She looked over at John once, but hurried to do as Nathan had asked. He turned back to Connor. "So what's the plan?"

Connor shook his head. "We'll wait until the others arrive. That way I only have to say it once."

Nathan pursed his lips, nodding slowly. "Smart, I suppose."

They stood in silence until That Girl showed up with Major Perry and James Ellison, two of Connor's remaining ranking officers.

That Girl must have already told them about Cody being captured instead of Connor, so none were all that surprised to see John alive and well.

"What have you got for us, Connor?" Perry asked.

John cleared his throat before beginning. "While I was tracking Cody's transport, I found something. Skynet's main satellite site. We take that out, we can destroy its wireless connection to its terminators. But we need to move, mass an attack."

"An attack?" That Girl cut in. "We can send a squad."

"Not a squad," Connor interrupted. "Everyone. Everyone at the base. That place will be crawling with Grays and Terminators. We'll need everyone we can."

Perry was frowning with disapproval. "Everyone? If we lose…"

"We won't," Connor said strongly. "We can't. Skynet won't be expecting us, but we have to hit it soon. This battle could end the war for good."

Perry held up a hand. "Connor, hold on. Maybe we should think about this…"

"What's to think about?" John demanded. "The plan is perfectly logical."

Nathan felt as if something was off. John was known for his brilliant strategies and maneuvers, but he'd never come up with something this big this quickly. But, in Nathan's opinion, it just might work.

"Marching our entire army into battle," he began. "Against a bunch of T-Xs and all the other Skynet crap out there to destroy the satellites and disrupt Skynet's control…" Perry seemed to be nodding his agreement, thinking Nathan was condemning the plan. But Nathan merely grinned at John. "You're my kind of stupid."

That Girl cut in again, completely ruining the mood. "John, please," she begged. "You've had a long day. Just… sleep on it, okay?"

John sighed heavily. "Fine. If you say so."

Nathan crossed his arms as Connor left. Since when did That Girl have such an influence on him? Was he replacing Cameron? The two of them had seemed to have a love that couldn't be replaced. It was strong, unbreakable and irreplaceable. Maybe Connor was just being nice.

Or maybe he was just tired from the journey home.

_Yeah, _Nathan agreed, nodding to himself. That was it.

**Serrano Point**

Allison knew she didn't have John's love anymore. She still wasn't sure that she had his trust. But she desperately hoped he would listen to her reasoning. John's plan seemed good, but what if they failed? What if Skynet was waiting for them? They couldn't risk the entire resistance like this. They needed a backup plan.

She saw John up ahead, entering his private quarters. Allison hurried up, feeling a bit awkward as she stood in the doorway. John noticed her immediately and turned around.

She shifted her weight from foot to foot, nervously asking, "Can I come in?"

"You don't need to ask," he replied, stretching his arms out and beckoning her in. His attitude had certainly improved since the last time they'd been together. Then, he'd almost ripped her head off because he thought she was trying to kill him. Maybe he was feeling guilty for that. Maybe he truly was glad she hadn't died. Maybe he _did _trust her. Maybe he wanted them to be friends again.

That's what she was here to find out.

"We need to talk," she said softly. "Please."

His eyes narrowed almost playfully. "Your chip's not malfunctioning again, is it?"

Allison frowned, her hand moving unconsciously to her head where Lauren had performed surgery to remove the Skynet chip from her skull. Was that supposed to be a joke? If so it was a bad one. She'd been traumatized ever since she'd learned about what Skynet had done to her. It wasn't like John to be cruel. "Please," she begged. "You said we could talk when you came back."

He tilted his head, studying her. "Come on, there's nothing we need to talk about." He smiled. As he came closer, she felt stunned and confused. What was going on? One minute he was cruelly teasing her and the next he was coming onto her? He'd never been like this with her. "Don't deny it," he whispered. "I know you missed me."

God knows she had. She felt her heart leap. Had _he _missed her? Had he been devastated by her supposed death? She knew he had loved Cameron first, but had he always longed for something different?

Something _human? _

He stood directly in front of her, his eyes staring back at her, but not with the softness they usually contained. Had he changed that much in a year?

John moved forward, gently pressing his lips up against hers. And she relished the kiss, remembering how much she had longed for it, how much she had loved him.

But something in the back of her mind was screaming "this is wrong!" She broke away first, her lips still tingling as she tried to shut out the tiny voice. John grinned and walked over to close the door.

At that point warning bells were going off in Allison's brain. "What are you doing?" She knew him well enough to know he would never do something like this. He'd _loved_ Cameron. She'd seen it in his eyes when she had returned. When he'd first seen her, Cameron's name had escaped his lips with desperate longing. And he'd been devastated to learn the truth.

Love like that didn't die. He wouldn't just jump from Cameron to her. John wasn't like that. He'd loved Cameron first and it had taken him years to finally allow himself to grow close to Allison, to allow himself to care about her. This wasn't like John at all.

A wry smile stretched across his face. "What are you talking about? We always do this. We've shared quarters for a year."

_A year. _She felt her fist clench as she stared back at John. This was all wrong. Everything was wrong. His eyes, his words, all wrong.

Because this wasn't John Connor.

"Who are you?" she breathed. Not-John's smile faded as he realized he was compromised. He suddenly reached a hand forward and grabbed her by the throat, pressing down hard.

But she didn't feel it. One benefit of having a metal neck, she thought. She wrenched free of his hold and darted across the room, grabbing a nine millimeter that was lying on the desk. She turned and shot off several rounds, heard the clunk as they hit the metal underneath Not-John's flesh.

_Definitely metal, _she realized.

She bolted for the door, dodging Not-John's lunge, and tearing off down the hall, calling for Weaver and John Henry. Her mind was racing as fast as her legs were. If that _thing _was a fake, then where was the real John? Was he being held captive somewhere, just like she had been? Had he seen his metal copy? Had he felt as horrified as she had when she'd seen Cameron?

Would they kill him too?

She blinked back angry tears. There was nothing she could do to help John, nothing she could do to protect him. First order of business was to destroy the metal monster that had taken his form.

Then they'd find the real John.

And she wouldn't rest until she did. Because he had made her a promise a long time ago that he would rescue her. And he had. He'd just been too late.

But she wouldn't be. Allison's face hardened with steely determination.

_I promise._

**Serrano Point**

**Secret Room**

Savannah sat across from John Henry in the secret room. He was still plugged into the supercomputer, which made her feel kinda bad for him.

"Do you miss moving around?" she asked.

"I can still move around," John Henry replied. "But my entity is stored in this supercomputer. If my body is detached, I can control it remotely but it will not have all my knowledge."

Savannah made a face. "That's weird." She hesitated before adding, "I'm sorry it has to be like this for you."

"Don't be sorry," John Henry said with a smile. "Now I have room to grow and expand. I have the ability to learn more. I have replayed events in my mind, observing the behavior of Mr. Connor's interactions with his friends and loved ones, especially Cameron." He paused. "I think I now understand what love is."

Savannah leaned forward eagerly when an alarm started blaring, the signal for an intruder. She jumped up from her chair and hurried to the door. "I'm going to see what's going on."

She heard John Henry's voice behind, calling for her to be careful. John Henry pulled up the security camera feeds to discover the identity of the invader.

John Connor appeared to be the cause of the commotion. He was walking through the base with a grenade launcher and a machine gun, shooting down any humans in his path and making short work of the Terminator Solo who came to stop him.

John Henry felt a spike of concern for Savannah's safety. He knew what the machine would be planning. He hastily dispatched his body to rescue her.

Savannah was already up onto the main level, searching the halls for any sign of a machine. Either it wasn't in this sector yet, or it had already been through here. She gripped her plasma rifle tightly and kept moving, scanning the perimeter.

Up ahead, a figure turned the corner and she recognized him instantly. "John!" she called. Maybe he knew what was going on. He was heavily armed, no doubt on the hunt for the invading Terminator.

But instead of offering her a reassuring smile, John raised the grenade launcher and aimed it at her. Savannah's eyes widened in horror. But mere milliseconds before the grenade shot out of the tube, she felt something grab her by the shoulders and spin her around. John Henry was right behind her, turning her so his body was acting as a shield against the incoming grenade.

The grenade connected with John Henry's body and she screamed as they were both blown backwards onto the floor. She lifted her head to see the Termi-John coming closer to inspect his kill. Before he could reach her, however, Nathan Reynolds popped out of a side tunnel, aim a rocket launcher at Termi-John and fire. The machine was blow to pieces, sending metal chunks everyone.

Savannah ducked back down, shielding her head, hearing Reynolds' low whistle. Ellison was suddenly in the tunnel as well, his eyes on Reynolds.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Well, I didn't really want to use these little bitty guns," Reynolds began, holding up the nine millimeter that had remained in his holster. "So I asked Lopez and the guys to give me something with a bit more kick." He grinned broadly. "It works."

As the remaining smoke finally cleared, Ellison noticed Savannah on the ground and hurried to her side, his strong arms linking under hers and lifting her to her feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

Savannah nodded, still a bit stunned and disoriented from the blast. "I'm fine. John Henry…" _What had happened to John Henry? _ She ripped away from Ellison, dropping to the ground by John Henry's broken body, her hand flying to her mouth. The grenade had done incredible damage, nearly obliterating his entire body. John Henry seemed to be powered off… or dead.

A sob escaped her lips. "No!" He'd been trying to protect her! He'd put himself in harms way to save her. He'd _sacrificed _himself!

His words rose in her mind. _I've learned what love is._

Maybe he had. Maybe this was his way of showing that he finally understood. She looked up at Ellison and Reynolds, her face stricken with anguish.

"We have to fix him, please!"

Reynolds was the first to move. "Don't worry, kid. We'll bring 'em."

Ellison frowned. "Isn't he in the supercomputer?"

Savannah's face lit up. Yes, John Henry was still alive inside that computer. She could go talk to him right now…

Wallace and Brooks came running into the room, their eyes taking in both the fallen Termi-John and John Henry. "What happened?" Brooks asked, running to John Henry's body.

Savannah tearfully explained how John Henry had sacrificed himself. "He's still on the computer though, right?"

Brooks and Wallace exchanged a look. "We just came from the computer room," Brooks said. "We wanted to know if John Henry could tell us where the fake John was."

"And?" Savannah demanded.

"He wasn't there."

"What do you mean he wasn't there?" Savannah repeated.

Reynolds chuckled. "What? The whole computer just up and walked off?"

"No," Wallace retorted. "He's gone. He uploaded everything he could so we could put him in a new computer somewhere else."

"Why?" Savannah asked, perplexed. "What did he think was going to happen?"

Lopez came running through the tunnel, horrified. "A Terminator just locked itself in the computer lab…"

Savannah's head snapped up. "Another one?" How many of these things were on the base?

"Fake-John here must have let in some of his buddies," Reynolds mused.

"What's it doing in there?" Ellison asked Lopez.

"It wired the whole place with Z4."

"_Z4?" _Savannah repeated nervously. "You mean C4?"

"I mean Z4. It's our new invention. 25x as powerful as C4."

Savannah was filled with horror. "He's gonna blow the entire base."

Ellison reached for his radio. "Yelkov, get on the communication line and order an evacuation of the entire building, civilian tunnels and everything."

"I estimate we have less than two minutes before that thing gets all the charges set," Lopez replied. "We have to move fast."

Allison heard Yelkov's frantic evacuation order over the communication line and hurried to usher everything in her sector to the nearest exit. Max – no, _Sam – _was running ahead, barking urgently, ushering all the soldiers out into the night and heading towards the forest.

She spotted Lauren and Sydney behind her along with another soldier she didn't recognize. Allison breathed a sigh of relief. They were the last ones. Everyone was out. Now they just needed to -

She barely had time to register what happened next. One minute she was standing a few yards away from the Serrano entrance and the next she felt herself being blown backwards, hot flames licking at her flesh, the roar of the explosion in her ears.

Her head smacked into something metal and for a moment she thought she might black out. Instead, she fought to keep her consciousness. She heard a bloodcurdling scream from the other soldier who had been closest to the explosion, taking the brunt of the force, no doubt earning third degree burns all on the left side of his body.

A sharp pain coursed through her leg and she could feel blood trickling down her head from when she had hit it after being thrown to the ground, but all she could do was stare in horror at what remained of Serrano Point. The explosion had ripped up the base at its foundations, completely blowing it to smithereens.

She heard Sam's mournful howl and wondered if the dog thought his master was trapped in there somewhere. Her heart broke and she wished she could tell him that John was fine… but was he? Skynet had sent a copy of him to infiltrate the base, so what had they done with the real John?

She still felt disoriented, dizzy from the blast when Sydney approached her, offering a hand to help her to her feet. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Allison nodded quickly, a mistake. She felt the rush of a headache instantly and nearly stumbled. "Where's Lauren?" she mumbled.

"Helping Ridley," Sydney replied. "We have to move."

Ridley must be the soldier who had gotten blasted by the fiery explosion. Allison nodded weakly and headed for the safety of the forest. Skynet could be coming to make sure their handiwork had succeeded.

Once inside the forest, they met up with Ellison, Reynolds, and the rest of the squad. Everyone looked horror-stricken but none seemed injured. They must have been able to get a safe distance away before Serrano blew.

A twig cracked and brush moved and everyone turned toward the sound, seeing John Connor and Cody stepping into view. Instantly, thirty rifles were aimed at John and she saw a brief flash of fear in his eyes as he deduced the situation.

"Hey, hey, wait!" he said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I'm not metal, it's me!"

"He could be another one," Perry said calmly, never lowering his weapon.

But Sam – John's new loyal canine companion – had perked up as soon as John came into view, darting forward with a happy bark. That seemed to confirm it for everyone else. They slowly lowered their guns.

John smiled as he pet Sam, but it disappeared quickly and Allison knew there had never been any real joy in it to begin with. His eyes locked on hers briefly but ultimately his gaze kept drifting towards the smoking remains of his headquarters.

"What happened?" he asked.

Reynolds was the first to speak up, pointing a figure towards Serrano. "Um, it went boom."

"I can see that," John retorted.

"There was a thing," Reynolds began again. "We thought it was you but it wasn't. It wired the whole place with Z4 and… well, you see what happened with that."

John's face fell. "It wasn't supposed to blow anything. It should have been infiltrating." He looked over at Cody. "That Gray told me he was sending it to infiltrate, to gain access to classified information and lead the Resistance into a trap."

Allison recalled what Not-John had tried to do. "It did try to get us to make an attack," she stated. "Perry and I both told him he should sleep on it before making a decision."

"But then we figured out it wasn't really you," Reynolds added. "I think it went to its backup plan which was to blow the place."

John looked momentarily relieved. "So it didn't fool you? You knew it wasn't me?"

"Allison found out first," Savannah spoke up quietly.

John seemed to notice Savannah for the first time, his eyes widening as he saw she was cradling John Henry's broken body. Allison resisted the urge to curl her lip. Things were different now, she reminded herself. She'd always known that John had some allies that were machine but now… they seemed to be more accepted, cared about even. Even though it turned her stomach, she still tried to accept it. For John's sake.

"What happened to him?" John demanded.

"He saved my life," Savannah choked out through her tears. "We have to fix him…"

"We will," Logan put in firmly. "When we find a new base."

John seemed to recover from the momentary shock, focusing back on the previous conversation. "So you were the one who found out it was a machine," he said to Allison. "How'd you know?"

"He…" She hesitated. She certainly wasn't about to tell him that Not-John had come onto her. How could she tell him that the only way she knew it wasn't the real John was because she knew that John didn't care about her anymore? He would have been reluctant and awkward if not cold and dismissive. "He just didn't act like you," she finished looking away.

No one could understand how awful it had been. There was John, acting as if they were truly in love. She couldn't deny how badly she'd longed for his kiss, the kiss she'd never actually got to share with him in her… well, _past _life. And as it turns out, it hadn't even been John kissing her. It had been a machine that _looked _like him.

It made her feel sick.

Wasn't it similar to what John did when he was kissing Cameron? Cameron was just a copy of _her_, right? A machine replacement for a human being? So why had John accepted Cameron so wholeheartedly? Why had he loved her _more_?

"We need to go," Cody said softly.

Everyone still seemed to be in a state of shock at the recent turn of events, but slowly they began to regain focus.

"Where?" Perry demanded.

"I say we head to Eagle Rock," John replied.

"Eagle Rock," Perry repeated, his voice etched with disapproval. "Nothing's at Eagle Rock anymore."

"Exactly," John replied. "The virus will be long gone and in the meantime, it's right there, ready to be used again. It's only temporary anyhow. Just until we can make our way to someplace more high-tech. We'll need to go back to Goldfish eventually. There's a few A-10s, a helicopter, and the mini-Krakens stationed there. Trust me, we'll need those later on."

Either everyone else agreed with Connor's plan or were too disheartened to argue. They all began moving, trekking through the forest, trying not to think about the destruction they'd left behind.

**One Week Later...**

**Eagle Rock Bunker**

**Computer Lab**

Savannah sat in the computer lab next to John Henry's body which was now mostly back to normal. Logan had transferred John Henry's main program into the supercomputer where he could again be connected to his body through the umbilical cord.

An immense wave of relief filled her entire body the moment John Henry's face became animated again, his cheerful smile instantly filling his face.

"Hello," he said happily.

"Hi," she replied with a grin.

"I've been able to learn a lot," John Henry replied. "Before the attack, I was about to tell you what I learned about love."

Savannah nodded quickly. "Yes." Was he going to tell her? Did he truly understand now? Is that why he had saved her?

"I realized that I would sacrifice myself for you in order to protect your well being because you are my friend," John Henry replied. "I have experienced death before and it was very unpleasant. But I would rather experience it again than have you experience it."

Savannah swallowed hard, hardly able to believe it. He'd truly grasped the concept, he'd finally learned it…

"To love someone is to sacrifice oneself," John Henry concluded. "The act of knowingly sacrificing one's life is the ultimate expression of love. Not the love of oneself but the love of others."

"And you… you feel this love?"

"Yes," John Henry agreed solemnly. "For you and Mr. Connor and Mr. Ellison and Ms. Weaver…"

Savannah didn't bother to comment that Weaver probably didn't deserve John Henry's love. She had killed Savannah's real mother and she was a machine, so she didn't really care about John Henry. She didn't understand love like John Henry did.

And Skynet didn't understand it like John Henry did. Savannah didn't know why she felt such a sudden resolve, but she knew that was they key.

That's how they would win this war.

**Eagle Rock Bunker**

**Bunkroom**

It had taken a while to get settled in Eagle Rock and the truth was… John Connor just couldn't do it. He'd only truly felt at home in certain places. Depot II and Serrano Point. But mostly Serrano. He'd had Cameron at Serrano. So many of his rare _good _memories had happened at Serrano.

Now it was gone.

He glanced up as Allison entered, sitting down on her own bunk which was across from him. That was another thing he missed, he realized. Having his own private quarters. Here he had to share with about twenty other soldiers, including Allison. Having her in the same room was hard enough.

And then there was the whole matter of Yelkov's excessive snoring problem.

Allison remained silent and he didn't try to engage in conversation. It brought too much pain. He winced. He knew he was being cold toward her, had been ever since she'd arrived. And all she'd wanted to do was see a friendly face. After all she'd been through, was that too much to ask for?

She still knew him well, knew him better than anyone else had. It was she who had discovered the fake doppelganger that had been sent. He frowned thoughtfully. She'd never really told him how she'd figured it out.

He sat up, glancing over at her bunk. "How'd you know?" he asked. "How'd you know he wasn't me?"

Allison squirmed uncomfortably. "I told you. He didn't act like you."

He stood up and narrowed his eyebrows. "You and I both know that's not the entire truth."

She bit her lip and looked away. "He tried to… make a move."

Horror crossed John's face. "He did? Allison, I would never—."

"It wasn't like that," she protested. "It was… it was how you would have acted with Cameron. Never with me."

He felt a pang of grief and glanced away. The only reason she'd known it wasn't him was because he'd acted like he actually loved her. Because in her mind, he hated her now.

"I am sorry for what happened," he began sincerely. "I'm sorry for not warning you about the ambush. I'm sorry you died. And I'm sorry this had to happen to you. But I cannot apologize for loving Cameron. I've always loved her and I always will and I can't change that. You don't know how hard it is to have you suddenly show up again. And things can't just go back to the way they were. We're different now. I'm different, you're different."

"You're still John," she replied. "And I'm still Allison. That hasn't changed."

_Maybe not, _he thought. "Listen… I'm not saying it won't ever be possible again. Maybe it will, maybe things can be like they used to. I know…" His breathing hitched. "…that Cameron will never come back. And right now it still feels like a rebound. Maybe… maybe after the war is finally over, maybe after we've won and can actually have normal lives again… maybe we can be like we once were. But for now… we can still be friends right?"

Relief seemed to light her face and she nodded emphatically. "Of course. Friends." She reached out to shake his hand, but he pulled her into a hug instead. It was the least he could do to show her he was sorry for how he'd been acting towards her.

For Allison, the closeness stirred up all those feelings once more. What she'd felt for him hadn't died when she did. It hadn't lessened or gone away. She still cared for him, loved him. But she loved him too much to cause him pain. If he wanted time to get over Cameron, she could live with that. If he needed time to grieve, she would be there for him.

Because he was John Connor, plain and simple. What he'd said was true. He would never have tried to deceive her like the false John had. Skynet was a master of lies, a master of deception.

_But not John, _she thought. _Not the John I know. _

John had spoken nothing but truth.

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: JOHN: This is it. Our last strike, our last chance to make a stand. Everything has come to this point in time. I know how to do it. I know how to stop Skynet. SAVANNAH: It's too dangerous! JOHN HENRY: I have to. SAVANNAH: John Henry, you could die… JOHN: It's a sacrifice. _


	58. Born to Stand

_author's note: Just want to give a big thank you to formytots0128 for helping me understand all the computer technical stuff that went into the "Skynet defeat strategy." Definitely couldn't have come up with that on my own, so thanks for your expertise. :)_

**Chapter Fifty Eight:**

**Born to Stand**

**Eagle Rock Bunker**

**John Connor's Bunkroom**

John listened intently, scanning through his mother's tapes, sitting in the same spot he'd been in for the past five hours, searching for anything – something Sarah hadn't thought relevant, something they'd overlooked, anything that could help defeat Skynet.

"I've been thinking," Sarah was saying, her voice carrying out from the tape. "When we went to the chess match where Andy…" He could hear the pain there but she quickly tried a different approach. "With Andy's Turk and the Japanese team. We know now that the Turk was stolen and most likely becomes Skynet. But… I was thinking about that match and perhaps the Turk has a weakness. It fell for a trap, a setup. Maybe it didn't understand what a sacrifice was. Maybe that was a human concept it couldn't grasp."

John already knew this. Andy Goode had told him. What his mother didn't know was that Turk II became John Henry, not Skynet. What she didn't know was that Dimitri had changed the endgame protocols so Turk would lose. What she didn't know was that Turk II _would_ have understood sacrifice. It was Turk III – Skynet – that didn't. It was a weakness he'd discovered a long time ago but still didn't know how to exploit.

So Skynet couldn't understand sacrifice. How could he use that to his advantage?

A pair of loud voices down the hall called his attention and he stood up abruptly, moving quickly towards the scene of the disturbance. Kristin Hamilton and Ridley stood in front of the medical wing.

Ridley had been in the hospital ever since they reached Eagle Rock. He'd been hit by the brunt of the explosion at Serrano, earning scalding third degree burns all across his body, with the majority on his left side. Lauren had been forced to amputate his arm to stop the infection that would have killed him.

Now Ridley was released from hospital stay, still bandaged, clutching the stub of his arm. The burns were still clearly visible on his face and John decided the bubble tech had every right to feel upset.

Ridley was yelling angrily at Kristin, who probably had just happened to be the first person he found to take his anger out on. But Kristin was the wrong person to start a heated argument with. If Ridley had started in on Allison or Sydney, they would have been sympathetic, trying to understand his pain and help him through it. Kristin Hamilton was a soldier, same as everyone else. She'd seen her fair share of violence and pain.

Her steely eyes locked on Ridley as he got up in her face, pointing a finger at her angrily. "Look at what's happened to me!" he shouted. "I've lost my entire life! I've lost my brother… my job… all because of them!"

Kristin's eyes flashed dangerously. "We _all_ have, you self-absorbed idiot!"

Ridley was about to zing back a nasty retort when John stepped in between them, holding out his hands to keep them apart. "Kristin, go," he ordered. She responded to the order immediately and John turned back to the troublemaker. "Ridley? You have some issues?"

"Of course I have issues," he spat, though some of his resolve seemed to have faded. The anger quickly turned to grief. "This war has taken everything. It killed my parents, my brother. It's destroyed me," he held up his stub of an arm. "I could have gone into hiding. I could have taken Cully and we could have run and stayed hidden, away from you and the others. Skynet would never have found us." His face flushed and his voice turned bitter. "But I stayed. We both stayed to help you fight. I stayed and I became a bubble tech, but _you_ suspended me from duty for doing what I thought was right. My brother was killed by a machine _you _brought onto base. And now look what's happened to me."

John had remained silent, never speaking, never breaking eye contact. Ridley's face flushed again and his volume increased. "You don't know what I've given up for the resistance, what I've _sacrificed_!"

John felt the blow as physically as if Ridley had actually struck him. John's fist clenched and if Ridley hadn't already taken a severe beating from the explosion, John was sure he would have landed a punch. Instead, he restrained himself, forcing himself to take a deep breath before he took a step closer, his cold eyes boring into Ridley's. The tech seemed to shrink back a little under the glare.

"Don't even tell me about sacrifices," John said, his voice dangerously low. "I have sacrificed more than anyone." _No one _had the right to complain about it more than he did. He tried to keep his face stony, but it twisted in grief as soon as the memories began.

"I was forced to let Allison Young die. I sent my father to his death. I had to send away the girl I love." He swallowed the thick lump in his throat as he thought of Cameron. That sacrifice had nearly shattered his soul altogether. But he'd pulled through. He'd kept going when any ordinary person would have given up.

"I have sacrificed so much to make sure that everything works out the way it is supposed to. I've sacrificed everyone I love, my life, my happiness, my heart. I've sacrificed for you, and for them, and for the entire human race! I could have been selfish. I could have decided that I had one too many sacrifices, that I couldn't deal with another loss." God knew how many times _that _thought had crossed his mind.

"If I had done that," he continued. "Something would have changed. And maybe we wouldn't win, maybe even more people would die. So I didn't. I did what I had to do to win this war, even if it meant sacrificing everything and everyone I loved. So _don't _tell me about sacrifice," he finished bitterly. "You don't know _anything_."

_Sacrifice._

John froze, any further words cut off abruptly. "Sacrifice," he breathed. He recalled Sarah's words on the tape: _Maybe it didn't understand what a sacrifice was. Maybe that was a human concept it couldn't grasp…_

Andy Goode's explanation floated into his mind… _We finally concluded that Turk III just didn't understand the concept of sacrifice. Its nature was to destroy everything. But Turk II would have recognized the sacrifice for what it was. It would have understood sacrifice…_

_John Henry understands something Skynet doesn't._

And then, he remembered Cameron's message to him: _Sacrifice is the key. The key to the entire war_.

She was right, they were all right…

"That's it," he realized. "That's the key!" His eyes lit up as he stared over at Ridley. "Thanks!"

As he took off down the hall towards the computer lab, he heard Ridley call out confusedly, "But I thought you were mad at me…!"

**Eagle Rock Bunker**

**Computer Lab**

John slammed his hand down on the table, getting everyone's attention immediately. His eyes danced with excitement as he took in the confused faces around him. Everyone important was here, John Henry, Weaver, Allison, Ellison, Savannah, and Cody.

"I know how to do it," he said strongly. "I know how to stop Skynet."

He saw their stunned reactions, some puzzled, some skeptical. "How?" Cody asked.

John cast a quick glance at John Henry. "A sacrifice."

He saw understanding cross John Henry's face but everyone else still seemed lost. John began to explain his newfound idea.

"You all know that Andy Goode's Turk is what becomes Skynet, correct?" He didn't bother waiting for the confirmation. "My mother and I went to see Turk II in a chess match, computer versus computer. The Turk captured the other team's queen and was on the verge of victory, but as it turns out, the other team hadn't lost their queen, they'd sacrificed it."

He paused to let that sink in, knowing full well they still wouldn't grasp the concept yet. "They sacrificed the queen so they could make their winning move. The Turk fell for a trap. Any human player would have seen it. A human player would have seen the trap, would have known it was a sacrifice. But machines… they don't understand the concept of sacrifice. They don't feel."

His eyes flashed to John Henry. "_Most_ of them don't. Andy thought that's why Turk II failed. When he created Turk III, he experimented with it, taught it to play chess just like Turk II. But Turk III did the same thing. It fell for the trap. Andy thought that was just because machines couldn't understand sacrifice. But what he _didn't_ know is that at the chess tournament, his partner Dimitri changed the endgame protocols of Turk II to purposely make it lose. In other words, it would have won. Turk II would have seen the sacrifice for what it was."

He paused again, purposely looking at John Henry. "John Henry is Turk II which means John Henry always had the potential to understand sacrifice, unlike Skynet." He was talking directly to John Henry now. "And you have learned that. You've learned what it means to love and to sacrifice. You've learned from Ellison, from Weaver, from Cameron and from Savannah. You sacrificed your life to save Savannah. You know what sacrifice is. So that's how we beat Skynet. We sacrifice."

Allison frowned. "I'm not sure I get it."

"I do," John Henry spoke up. "_I _am the sacrifice."

Weaver seemed to be catching on as well. "It is possible for John Henry to implement a code sacrifice technique that will lure Skynet into a trap by making it think it has the advantage."

"Code sacrifice?" Cody repeated with frown.

"The Love Code," John Henry replied.

"Explain," John ordered.

"The Love Code is what I call a special version of my core programming code that is targeted to defeat Skynet's core programming code."

"Core," John repeated.

"Like any computer program, Skynet has subprograms called daemons running in the background that carry out basic housekeeping tasks."

"Daemons," John repeated, throwing a glance at Ellison. "How appropriate for the computer Anti-Christ."

"These daemons are not part of the core operating system program," Weaver explained. "John Henry's Love Code will not target these daemons, but will destroy only Skynet's core program or 'spirit' which defines its ability to feel awareness."

"So how does he trap Skynet?" John asked.

"Skynet will already be 'trapped' as you say," Weaver replied. "Sarah Connor's Angel program will break the internet infrastructure, preventing Skynet from calling for help or escaping. It will be essentially trapped inside a computer instead of cyberspace."

"Okay, so how does John Henry lay his trap?"

"In a computer system, the programs are stored in specific memory locations that are protected by the operating system," Weaver explained. "Right before Angel is activated, John Henry will transmit his love code into the memory locations of every computer in the world. Skynet will recognize the love code as an intruder and will be fooled into moving its core program instructions to the memory locations where part of the love code is stored."

"Sacrifice," John Henry added. "Skynet will believe it has taken over the love code and go in for the kill. Just like in the chess match, except territory will be lost or gained through the use of storage memory locations. Once a section of program is deleted in the instruction memory, it is permanently lost. My code will set a trap which renders the captured instruction memory location to be un-executable or inaccessible."

"I don't get it," Savannah said.

But John did. "Once Skynet's code is inside the memory locations, it can be deleted permanently. This will all happen simultaneously across all the computer systems in the world, hopefully destroying every trace of Skynet once and for all."

The room was silent, in awe of the master plan. All but Savannah.

"What about John Henry?" she protested. "He was almost killed by Skynet last time right?"

"Yes," John Henry stated.

"You said you'd delete the memory locations with Skynet inside," she continued, her voice increasing as she did. "But your code will be in there too. You'll be sacrificing it. And he'll still be connected to the internet, right?" she demanded. "If this love code fails, he's vulnerable to attack."

"Yes," John Henry agreed.

"You can't do it!" she blurted, her face twisted into horror. "What if it kills you? It's too dangerous!"

"I have to."

"But, John Henry…" she said, her lower lip trembling. "You could die…"

John glanced at the two of them, nodding gravely. "It's a sacrifice."

**Eagle Rock Bunker**

**Meeting Chamber**

John stood in front of the crowd of his closest friends, solemnly about to deliver the news that would permanently change everything.

This was their do or die final battle.

Either they would succeed or fail but either way, the world would never be the same again. The world they knew now would be finished. In its place would be the dawn of a new age… or the destruction of them all.

"We've been fighting a long time," he began, staring across at the faces in the room. Most of them were battle-hardened, grief-stricken. They'd seen their share of pain and suffering and death.

And sacrifice.

And hopefully, this one would be the last they had to make.

"This is it," he continued. "Our last strike, our last chance. Our time to make a stand against Skynet, to end its reign of terror once and for all. Everything has come to this point in time. And everything that happens from here on out needs to happen at exactly the right moment. This entire attack hinges on everything being done in the right order, at the right time. I know what you've all been through. I know what you've lost throughout this war. You've all been fighting for your own reasons, but you're all here now at this time. And this is our chance to take back the future - our future, your future. This is our last shot, the only way we could ever live freely once more. But it'll take everyone. And right now, I'm asking more of you than I ever have before. Maybe all."

Captain Reynolds stood up, glancing around at the rest of the crowd. "Now, I've only been here a short while but it seems to me that you all have enough fight left in you for one more round. Skynet's in control of the world right now, but we can change that, we can fight, we can make a stand." He stepped forward and locked eyes with John, his face filled with determination. "I don't know about the rest of you… but I aim to misbehave."

John smiled slightly. "Thanks, Captain."

Slowly the rest of the people in the room stood up, their gazes filled with loyalty and resolve. "For the Resistance!" Perry agreed boldly.

"No," Allison said softly, glancing up at John. "For the future."

"Okay, Connor," Cody interrupted, breaking John's eye contact with Allison. "What's the plan?"

John snapped back into action, the details of the plan flowing through his mind once more. He started from the beginning, explaining the research his mother had done and how the Angel virus code would bring down the internet. He told them about John Henry's love code which would be able to permanently delete Skynet once inside.

"We'll launch the cyberattack from SRD," John explained. "'Angel' will smuggle in the love code and disable the EPHY chips, shutting down the internet. Now, in order to make sure Skynet will not call for help or escape, at that same moment, the rest of us need to take out the major communication satellites in the world."

"Ze satellites?" Yelkov repeated.

Logan spoke up before John could. "Skynet relies on both wireless and wireline internet connections. The wireless communication is done through slow links such as Cell towers or fast links such as satellites. The internet traffic is sent simultaneously through multiple communication paths. When one communication path is destroyed, the traffic can still reach it's destination by using a different path. The Angel virus will take down the wireline path, but we have to destroy any other communications satellites and depots."

Nathan scratched his chin. "We talkin' cell towers too? WiFi, all that?" A few people stared at him blankly and he cleared his throat uneasily. "Or maybe you don't have those anymore…"

"Some," John admitted. He'd seen some before that hadn't been destroyed in Judgment Day. "The nuclear missiles only targeted the big cities, which is why there are still antennas and communication hubs out there."

"We don't have to worry about the cell towers," Logan put in. "Those towers are low bandwidth connections. It's only the main communications hubs with wireless and fiber optic connections on the ground that require immediate attention."

"So we destroy all the depots," Blair corrected.

"Not destroy," John interrupted. "The Angel code will temporarily disable the infrastructure. John Henry's love code will have to take over Skynet and replace it. If we _disable _the satellites and antennas, we won't have to start completely over again."

"It's a heck of a risk," Blair murmured. "What was your idea?"

"EMP," John replied firmly. "Charges and missiles and everything. All going off at once. The entire infrastructure will be shut down. John Henry will have two minutes to activate the love code and kill Skynet."

"Two minutes," Nathan whistled. "Doesn't seem like very long."

"To him, it's a lifetime," Weaver stated.

Blair was shaking her head. "This is still too risky…"

"I know," John agreed. "Which is why I already have a backup plan. If John Henry fails, if Skynet wins-."

"It won't!" Savannah interrupted angrily.

"If the unthinkable happens," John amended. "Each antenna and communications depot and satellite will also be rigged with Z4. If by the end of two minutes, John Henry has not succeeded, everyone will set off the Z4 charges and destroy that part of the infrastructure. At least we'll be able to cripple Skynet." He glanced over at Blair. "Still think it's too risky?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I like plan B."

"Sounds like you have it all planned," Cody suggested, impressed.

"Almost," John agreed. "There's another factor we've yet to discuss. There are also the satellites in space. Not the weather or GPS satellites, but the communications ones. Mal, that's where you come in."

Nathan considered. "You want me to take _Serenity_ up into space…and destroy the satellites with our one bitty cannon…?"

"Not destroy," John corrected. "We'll need them later. You just need to disable the key satellite relay hubs that support internet traffic. You can attach a miniature electronic device – the EBOMB – on the satellite that will jam the signals. It has a built in timer which gives off a strong radio frequency white noise. Eventually, it'll run out of power and the satellite will be active again."

"So, we go up and attach these bomb things to the satellites?" Nathan repeated. "That's it?"

"That's it," John agreed.

Zach, the older of the two space-faring Dekker brothers, was quick to protest. "We may not even get off the ground! Won't Skynet try to shoot us down from the moment we take off?"

John opened his mouth to reply but Nathan beat him to it. "Most likely."

"And you don't think that complicates matters?" Zach continued incredulously.

"Oh, I surely do," Nathan replied, solemnly. Then a crooked grin split his face. "I think it makes it more fun."

Zach was still staring dubiously but John had already known that Captain Reynolds was up for the challenge. Next step was the aerial attacks that weren't in space. "Alright, Blair," he began. "You'll be leading the A-10s in an air assault against the ground based communications depots."

Blair nodded her consent, but it was Yelkov who decided to point out the question no doubt everyone was asking. "Zere are hundreds of communications depots across ze globe. How do you expect us to take them all out?"

"We'll have help," John replied simply. "The rest of the Resistance. This is a global war and this battle will be a global effort."

Yelkov looked pleased. "I can contact them…"

"No," John said sharply. Yelkov looked hurt and confused and John shook his head. "No radio contact. We can't risk Skynet overhearing our plans. In order for this to work, we need to take it by surprise."

"Zen how will zey know?"

"That's your job," John replied. "You'll be in charge of a huge group of scouts that will split up and travel across the continent. You'll stop at every bunker you can, giving them the details of the attack, the location of the communications depot they need to hit, and the exact moment they need to strike."

"Aye, aye General!" Yelkov said eagerly, saluting.

"Now," John went on. "Obviously they can't walk or take the truck across to the Europe, Asia, and African continents or Australia, so for that I need Chris Garvin."

From the crowd, he saw Garvin cock an eyebrow. "Me?"

"We still have the mini-Krakens in port at Goldfish," John replied. "You and your team will go to the rest of the world, telling them the plan and the date and time of the launch. Lopez… I need you and the rest of the scientists to work on mass producing things like the IFW and CryoBlaster, as well as Z4 and EMPs. We'll need those to disable the communications depots, so it needs to be sent with Yelkov and Garvin's teams to deliver to each bunker."

"You got it, Connor," Lopez said with a nod.

John turned to their resident T-1001. "Weaver, I'll need your help on the battlefield. You're about our only hope of taking out a T-X permanently. Savannah will stay with John Henry and monitor him when he begins the cyberattack. As soon as all the satellites are disabled and 'Angel' brings down the internet, John Henry will unleash his love code. Skynet should fall for the trap and John Henry can wipe it out for good. Any questions?"

Perry raised his hand. "Do we have a timetable for this? It'll take months and months for Yelkov and Garvin to go to each bunker with the news."

"Yes," John agreed. "We have plenty of time to prepare our troops and forces for the attack. As I said, we'll have a set date and time that we all need to attack simultaneously on."

"An exact time?" Allison repeated.

"Yes," John said. "Everything needs to happen at the exact same moment, so we need to have an exact time."

"Which is what?"

The corner of John's mouth twitched up into a smile and he looked over at Ellison and John Henry who had already decided on the exact time.

"3:16 pm," John reported.

Cody frowned, his face bewildered. "Why that time?"

John nodded to Ellison who looked at his computer protégé. "John Henry?"

"It's from the Bible. "'This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.' 1 John 3:16." John Henry stared at them all solemnly. "You are my brothers. And sisters."

"Sacrifice…" Cody realized softly. "Love…"

"Exactly," John confirmed. It was perfectly fitting.

"And what day is this 3:16 attack happening on?" Allison asked.

John took a deep breath. "April 21st. 2029."

The entire room seemed to go silent.

"Judgment Day," Cody breathed.

John nodded solemnly. What greater justice was there? Skynet would be destroyed just like the three billion who had died when Skynet had launched its missiles. The world would be turned upside down once more, for one last time as a simultaneous bombardment of the earth's satellites would be their last chance.

Their last stand.

**Eight Months Later...**

**Death Valley Outpost**

**April 20, 2029**

The last eight months had passed in a whirlwind of preparation and activity. John had thrown himself headfirst into the action, keeping everyone on schedule and helping out with anything he could get his hands on.

Lopez, Logan, and the other engineers had been working hard to crank out more IFWs, powersuits, and CryoBlasters to give to the rest of the soldiers. Garvin and Yelkov had completed their global tour, reporting in code that everyone was prepared for the strike.

Blair had outfitted her A-10 squadron with new airborne lasers and nuclear missiles. Mal had upgraded his bitty cannon and shields. Everyone seemed to be in full swing preparing for the massive attack.

So far Skynet hadn't seemed to suspect anything. After Serrano's destruction, maybe it expected them to recuperate, maybe it thought they were finished. Either way, it certainly wouldn't see this coming…

Now, John stood just outside the Death Valley bunker as the sun began peeking over the horizon. He heard footsteps behind him and saw Allison approach, her eyes on the rising sun.

"So," she said softly. "Tomorrow's the big day."

"Yeah, big day," he echoed.

"John Henry and his love code."

John made a face. "You say that sarcastically. You, the girl who never has a bad thought about anyone."

Allison shrugged. "It's a hard concept to grasp, even after all this time. You say John Henry supposedly understands love."

"That's right," John replied, feeling a twinge of irritation. Was she doubting him? Was she still anti-machine or just anti-Cameron? "Why?" he asked crossly. "You gonna make some remark about him being a machine?"

Allison looked taken aback at his tone. "No. It's just… a lot to take in."

John sighed. "I know." He couldn't blame her for being reluctant to grasp the concept. His mother had seen evidence of machine emotion for years and yet she had always been the first to adamantly remind him that they don't feel.

_They don't know love._

She'd been wrong then. He knew that now. Allison's prejudice towards machine would have stemmed from the fact that he was in love with one that looked like her. And, he had to admit, it was a pretty good reason.

Allison spoke up softly, "And I believe you." Her face was tortured, as if it hurt her to admit it.

"Believe me?"

"You said that she - that Cameron - could love," she elaborated hesitantly. "I… I believe you."

"You do?" His eyebrows rose incredulously.

"I do," she confirmed. It was in her nature, he realized. Allison Young didn't have a mean bone in her body, didn't hold grudges, didn't hate him or Cameron for what they'd done to her. She was forgiving.

"But, John," she continued. "It doesn't change anything. Why can't you let go?"

John looked away and she bit her lip. He should have known she would ask that. He tried to tell himself that she had a right to ask it.

"It's been eight months, John," she said. "I know you've changed some. You still act like we're friends and you always say and do the right things. But every time I look at you, I see emptiness. Like there's nothing in there anymore."

"That's not true." But even the words felt hollow, reflecting the emptiness in his heart.

"Cameron wouldn't want this," Allison continued. "She wouldn't want you to be a shell of the man you used to be. You've been leading us, but you're running on fumes. You're still grieving and you can't let it go. The only reason you've continued functioning is because you want Skynet to pay. But revenge… it won't solve anything. Holding a grudge isn't hurting anyone but yourself. You think hating Skynet will make a difference to it? Skynet doesn't care about what you've lost. It doesn't care if you hate it. You're holding yourself a slave to your hatred and grief."

Down deep, he knew she was right. And it was as if his eyes were suddenly opened. He saw Allison standing in front of him but it was Cameron's voice in his head.

"You need to let go," she was saying, her voice stoic and serous. "Be their hero." She gave him a small, sad smile. "Don't worry about me. Everything will work out fine."

He swallowed hard. "You believe that?"

"I do," she replied.

Cameron's features twisted into worry and he recognized Allison once more. "John? Are you okay?"

He was okay, he realized. The first time he'd heard Cameron's message, it had restored his will to fight, but it hadn't mended his heart. Nothing could truly do that. But Allison was willing to try, already she was picking up the pieces and trying to put them back together, so he could live again. He could _live. _Part of him had always hoped he'd die in this final battle so he wouldn't have to live alone in the new world. Part of him had been afraid not of dying – but of _surviving _when no one else had. He couldn't stand being alone again, no matter what Cameron had told him.

_There's only one way for you to be safe and that's to be alone._

He didn't want to be alone. He wanted to _live. _His spirit lifted as he looked over at Allison. All she'd wanted was his friendship, his compassion. He would do exactly what she wanted. He would go and win this war. He'd beat Skynet. He'd survive and help create the new world.

And she'd be with him, helping him continue to survive. Her and Cody and Savannah and Ellison and even John Henry. He had lost a lot, but he still had his friends.

And that was all that mattered.

"Thank you." The words came out soft and ragged. Her eyes were compassionate, as if she could see the change in his face already.

He was ready. Ready to fight, ready to live again.

The breeze ruffled his hair as he stared out across the expanse of desert. He could hear his mother's voice in his mind: _There's a storm coming. _

"Alright, Skynet," he said darkly.

This was it. This was their final stand against the computer that had taken over their lives and their world. And it was gonna be a dogfight.

"Welcome to your Judgment Day."

* * *

_Next Week on Born to Fight: JOHN: Skynet, if you're listening to this, I have a message for you. You've destroyed everything in my life but you've failed. I'm still here. [Timer counts down 7,6,5… Savannah sits with John Henry who is plugged into a computer. 4… A HellHound's teeth flash as it lunges for Allison. 3… Blair's finger hovers over the missile launcher trigger. 2… John fires his IFW.] JOHN: Welcome to Judgment Day._


	59. Born to Triumph

_author's note: Only one more chapter to go after this one. For those of you who are interested, I posted an official trailer for my TSCC/Serenity crossover on youtube and I plan on releasing that the end of July._

* * *

_Previously on Born to Fight: JOHN: I know how to do it. I know how to stop Skynet. Sacrifice. WEAVER: It is possible for John Henry to implement a code sacrifice technique that will lure Skynet into a trap. SAVANNAH: John Henry, you could die… CAMERON: Don't worry about me. Everything will work out fine. JOHN: 'Angel' will smuggle in the code and shut down the internet. The rest of us need to take out the major communication satellites. John Henry will have two minutes to activate the love code and kill Skynet. PERRY: It'll take months and months for Yelkov and Garvin to go to each bunker with the news. Do we have a timetable? JOHN: 3:16 pm. April 21st. CODY: Judgment Day. [Derek holds up a terminator chip] DEREK: Someday one of these things is gonna kill you._

**Chapter Fifty Nine:**

**Born to Triumph**

**Death Valley Outpost**

**April 21, 2029 – 10:16am – Five hours before attack**

John Connor stared out across the desert valley, his mind already working through what they would be doing in mere hours.

Because today was the day. This was it, Judgment Day for the machines this time.

_There's a storm coming. _

His mother's words had brought an unbearable ache back into his heart. He longed for her to see this, what he was about to accomplish. She'd been fighting Skynet longer than he had. The only difference was that her war had been in the past. She would have loved to see this day, the day of Skynet's total eradication.

More than anything, he hoped that she would be proud of him, proud of the man, the leader, the hero he'd become. _I'm not who they think I am. I can't lead an army! _John smiled softly to himself. That conversation seemed like so long ago. They'd pushed him to become the leader – his mother, Derek, Cameron, even Kyle. They had made him the person he was today. They were all a part of this, and he could almost imagine them here beside him, ready to take their place in the final battle for freedom.

He squatted down beside Sam, stroking the dog's ears. "Don't worry," he said softly. "I'll be back. You're all I have left."

_Besides Allison, _his mind added. He frowned slightly which only caused Sam to start whining again. John still wasn't sure what he was going to do about Allison. After their earlier conversation…. she'd helped him get past his grief, helped rekindle the need to survive, to live. They were becoming friends again, just like they'd been in the past. And he was fine with that. But he couldn't…

_Cameron's not coming back. _

The words, his own thoughts, hit him like a ton of bricks. What would Cameron say? It was exactly as Allison had reminded him last night. Cameron would want him to be happy but he wasn't even sure that was possible anymore. Allison was just as she'd been in the past, the bright spot in the Resistance. Only some of that joy had dimmed after her so called death. But the love and caring for others remained.

He admired that, had always admired that. Maybe what he told her was true. Maybe after this war was completely over, they would be able to truly start over, pick up where they'd left off. He'd be lying if he said a part of him didn't still care for her. But he'd lost so much that he didn't think he'd ever be whole again. His heart had been completely shattered, ripped up and thrown under the wheels of a passing centaur tank.

He'd told her that once, had told her that she could do so much better than him, that she deserved someone who wasn't broken like he was. She'd shot him down quickly, adamantly protested that he was still grieving and that she understood and wanted to help.

_It's good to grieve, John. It makes you human._

He'd grinned wryly. She'd told him that before and it had gotten him through her death. But after all he'd seen and lost he still hadn't mastered the ability to disconnect the pain, not like his father could. He could still hear Kyle's words: _It never goes away. It will always be there. But you have to bury it. Or else you eventually won't be able to go on. There's only so much a human being can take._

John had figured he was the extreme end of that. He'd been a mere shell after Cameron had gone, his life, his will to fight, everything had been uprooted and set at a standstill. But Cameron, her message to him, had sparked that urge to fight, that instinct that had been hammered into his entire being since the day he was born.

He was John Connor and this was what he did.

He was born to fight.

And maybe, he could learn to love again.

He stood up and stared down at his dog, one of his last few reminders of Cameron. Unconsciously he reached for the necklace he kept under his shirt, the diamond ring she'd given back to him for safekeeping when she'd left.

"John!"

Hearing her voice almost sent him into shock before he realized it was Allison. He hastily tucked the necklace back under his shirt. "I was just saying goodbye to Sam," he replied.

Her eyes were soft and caring, as if judging by his expression that Sam wasn't the only loved one on his mind. "I really am sorry."

And he believed her, truly. "I know," he replied.

_Disconnect the pain. Bury it. _

If there was ever a time he needed to obey his father, it was now. His face hardened into a mask of resolve as he focused on the task ahead. In less than five hours, the entire world would launch their attacks and destroy the satellites. Then it would be a matter of John Henry performing his sacrifice.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Allison seemed mildly surprised at his abrupt change but she nodded, patting her plasma rifle. "Ready as I'll ever be."

John nodded and headed for the door. "Then let's go."

_Ready or not, Skynet. Here we come._

**Florida**

**1:03pm – Approximately Two Hours Before Attack**

Yelkov checked the time on his laptop screen even as he heard Captain Shad, one of the ranking humans inside Manatee Bunker, announce that they had five hours until the simultaneous attack.

This had been his last stop on his route as part of the cross-country mission to alert all the bunkers of the General's plan. It was very important that he and the other scouts complete their tasks. If even a single communication link remained open, the whole plan would fall apart. And Skynet would win.

He couldn't speak for the rest of the scouts, but he himself had done his job faithfully for the past eight months, traveling to several bunkers a day, delivering the message and the Z4 and other weapons.

Now, he remained in the crowd as all the soldiers in the bunker prepared for the attack.

He knew exactly what would take place in the next few hours.

John Henry would upload the Angel virus into all the Skynet computers. Everyone in the resistance would simultaneously begin their attacks in order to create a diversion and overload Skynet's communication links. The communications facilities themselves would not be disabled until the proclaimed 3:16pm. Skynet would be busy dealing with the attacks and Angel would activate, opening a security hole for the Love Code to start uploading into all the computers. Once the Love Code was loaded, at precisely 3:16pm, the Angel virus would shut off the internet connection via the EPHY chips.

And every Resistance fighter in the world would be doing their part to ensure their target antenna, satellite, or communications depot would go down with it.

As Yelkov observed the soldiers loading up the EMP equipment and charges, he spotted several preparing the packages of Z4, the General's backup plan if John Henry failed. Yelkov didn't think the backup plan would be necessary.

Captain Shad approached him with a serious look on his face and an extra gun in his hand. He held it out to Yelkov. "For you."

For a moment, Yelkov was stunned speechless. Attack? Always his job had been to monitor communication lines or contact the Resistance or other technology related things. "Oy… I am a tech, not a fighter," he protested.

Captain Shad simply shrugged, forcing the weapon into Yelkov's hands. "Today you're both."

Yelkov gulped, but nodded and saluted. "Aye, Keptin!"

**California Valley**

**2:36pm – Forty Minutes Before Attack**

"It's simple, really," Nathan said with a shrug as he walked with the Dekkers toward _Serenity. _He was actually really looking forward to feeling the ship's controls under his fingers again. It had been too long.

"Simple," Zach repeated dubiously.

"Yeah," Nathan agreed. "We go up, attach the bomby thingy and come back."

"Bomby thingy?" Austin said, his eyes widening. "You're making me feel real confident in our chances."

Nathan approached the ship's hatch and turned to speak to the two brothers. Instead, the words caught in his throat as he saw a human figure approaching, its movements and facial expression immediately giving it away as machine.

"Metal!" he shouted. He all but shoved Zach and Austin up into the ship and tried to scramble for his plasma rifle. But the machine was too fast, on him in a second, pinning Nathan to the ground.

Nathan grasped his rifle, lashing up at the attacking Terminator, holding it at bay with the weapon. He considered landing a punch but then realized the only thing he'd break was his hand.

The machine grabbed the barrel of the rifle in an attempt to take the weapon from Nathan, but Nathan quickly pressed the trigger, sending a bolt of plasma into the machine's arm. It released the weapon and Nathan swung it again, this time his strike powerful enough to crack the Terminator's head back at an unnatural angle. Unfortunately, the effort also smashed the end of his rifle. The machine reached for Nathan, but suddenly he heard a blast and saw a blue bolt explode through the left side of the Terminator's head, taking a chunk of its brain – well, chip – out with it. The machine dropped heavily and Nathan grunted, rolling to his feet to see Blair Williams standing a few feet away, her hands resting comfortably on her rifle as if she did this all the time.

Which she probably did.

Still, Nathan felt cheated. "I think that I was winning!"

Blair looked irritated, or stressed, he couldn't tell which. "Yes, you were doing a tremendous job beating it to death with a broken rifle. Just get up there. I can't be your armed guard for long. I have to get in position to blow up some things too, you know."

"Oh, I know," Nathan agreed. "You seem to have quite a reputation for blowing up things."

Blair merely gave him a steely look and Nathan tried not to feel cowed. "What made you so cold? Come on, don't you have a heart?"

He saw a flash of something cross her face – pain? Remorse? Love? It was gone instantly as she regained control. "What made me like this?" she asked with a dry laugh. She turned and started back towards her A-10, her voice lowering.

"Ask Skynet."

**California Valley**

**2:46pm – Thirty Minutes Before Attack**

Blair Williams tried to focus on her mission, but her mind kept drifting back to the annoying Captain Reynolds and his on-the-mark observance. It was true that ever since Marcus had died she'd been… different. She'd always done her job, but a part of her had been missing. She could only imagine how Connor felt, having lost both Allison and Cameron… twice.

Reynolds' voice came over her speakers. "Hey, will you let me shoot down an HK?"

Blair's lip twitched. "Are you ready to launch yet?"

"Yes," he replied, miffed. "You didn't answer my question."

"Don't count on it," she replied, firing up her engine as soon as she saw _Serenity _do the same. Skynet would be coming, sending in any available Hunter-Killers. She still held on to the hope that many of the HKs would be occupied with the diversion attacks that were taking place across the globe.

_Serenity _lifted off the ground and suddenly Blair saw them on her radar: two HKs coming in for the kill. She took a deep breath and readied her laser guns. _Time for Hunter-Killer Butt-Kicker to come in. _She surrendered to instinct, flying cover for the ship that was beginning to head for the upper atmosphere.

The HKs opened fire and she heard Reynolds' shout of protest over the radio. "Stop shootin' at my ship!"

She didn't even bother to point out that the HKs neither heard nor cared about his complaint. Instead, she charged up the lasers and fired, watching with satisfaction when the blast damaged the HK. Meanwhile, Reynolds' didn't seem as inept as he had first appeared. He swung the small shuttle around deftly, shooting at the second HK with his plasma cannon.

She hated having to use any of her heavy weaponry now, but Blair loaded up one of the three nuclear missiles and launched it at the first HK. Her shot was dead on, blowing the HK to pieces. Blair carefully guided her A-10 away from any flying debris that could hit her plane.

Reynolds' had managed to get in a lucky shot with his plasma rifle that must have taken out the second HK's controls. It was sent screaming into the ground with a tremendous explosion.

Blair felt a flash of relief but it didn't last long. They weren't out of this yet. She still had to get to her position to take out her communication site. And he had to get up into orbit to take out those satellites.

As she started to turn her A-10 to leave, she heard Reynolds contact her through the radio once more.

"Thanks," he said, a grin evident in his voice.

"For what?" she asked irritably. What the heck was he so happy about? They were in the middle of a war!

"For letting me shoot one," he replied.

She thought about telling him that she hadn't really planned on _letting _him do anything, but she sighed. She had too many other things to worry about. "You're welcome. Now get up there and disable those satellites."

She could have sworn she heard him chuckle. "Copy that, Butt-Kicker."

Blair's scowl was short lived. She smiled slightly as she turned her A-10 back down towards her target site.

Twenty minutes to go…

**Death Valley Communication Depot**

**2:56pm – Twenty Minutes Before Attack**

John Connor crept forward, hearing the sounds of gun and laser fire coming from all around. The charges, both Z4 and EMP were laid and ready to set off at the precise time.

Now was just the diversion.

The Terminators inside the communication depot had come out to defend their turf and it was taking all John's force to hold them back. Over to his left, he heard Kristin Hamilton let out a warning cry, "Scouts report a HellHound incoming!"

John felt a chill of fear run down his spine. At his side, Allison turned to him with confusion. "What's a hell hound?"

"Skynet's Termi-dog," John replied, gripping his IFW tighter.

Something lunged over a pile of rubble, crashing into Kristin Hamilton. John saw the flash of silver instantly. It was a T-D1 endoskeleton dog. Allison's eyes went wide with shock.

Kristin gave a howl of fury and kicked out at the Hound in an attempt to keep it at bay. Instead, the metal fangs closed on her ankle. John saw the isotope in his weapon turn red and he fired. The machine, which had been too busy attacking Kristin to dodge the bolt let out a demonic howl as its circuits fried.

John scrambled to Kristin's side, quickly surveying the damage. She let out a hiss through her teeth. "My ankle," she groaned. John noted the injury where the steel fangs had pierced flesh. He'd killed it before it had done any severe damage, though.

"Looks like a couple broken ribs too," he added. "From when it jumped you." Where were Lauren and Sydney? They had to be in the area. "Lauren!" he shouted. "Hammy's hurt!"

Less than thirty seconds later, the Fields sisters arrived to help and John turned back towards Allison. It was then that he saw the dark shadow on the rubble pile above her head.

He should have known.

HellHounds never traveled alone.

"Allison, look out!" he cried in horror. She glanced up just in time to see the Termi-Dog endo leap down. That instant warning saved her life, giving her a split second to roll to the side, avoiding its bone crushing impact on the ground. She swung her rifle around but the machine's jaws clamped down on the gun and ripped it from her hands.

John desperately inserted a checked his isotope charge and waited for it to change to red. He realized with horror that the HellHound wasn't going to wait ten seconds to rip Allison's head off.

He had no choice.

John fired the weapon prematurely. The partially formed electrical bolt did little damage, but it did knock the Hound off Allison. Instead, it turned to John, red eyes flashing dangerously as it targeted the new threat.

John furiously started charging his weapon again as the Hound started rushing towards him. Those ten seconds seemed to be the longest of his life. Right as the hound was leaping on top of him, the solution turned red.

John fired.

He felt the machine's claw rake across his eye, but as soon as the blast left his gun, the Hound was destroyed. John shoved the dysfunctional machine off his chest and scrambled to his feet, dizzily, holding his head. He quickly checked his timer.

Fifteen minutes…

**Earth's Atmosphere**

**3:01pm – Fifteen minutes Before Attack**

Nathan Reynolds stared out the cockpit window of his ship, at the familiar star-filled sky. He slowed the shuttle down and glanced over at the Dekker brothers. "Welcome to the Black," he announced.

"So, what's the plan?" Zach asked. "I mean, there's a lot more than one satellite. How will we hit them all?"

"Simple," Nathan replied.

Austin's eyes lit up. "Oh! We clone ourselves!"

"I like the way you think," Nathan said with a grin. "But the cloning might prove problematic. We'll just set these EBOMBs with a timer for 3:16. They'll do the rest of the work."

Austin smiled. "You know one good thing about being up in space? It's about the only place in the world – well, outside it – where Skynet can't get to us."

Nathan solemnly agreed as he loaded up the first EBOMB. "Yeah. We're as ghosts in this…"

**Colorado**

**3:09pm – Seven Minutes Before Attack**

Major Perry waited, his eyes on the clock and the diverting battle playing out in front of his eyes. The EMP was ready, the Z4 was ready. Now, they just had to wait for the exact moment in time…

Perry looked over at his comrade and fellow commanding officer. Ellison had his face to the sky, a gun in one hand and his Bible in the other. Perry hadn't said a word when Ellison had first pulled out the book from his pack.

Now, in the midst of battle, Perry began to wonder about his fellow soldier's sanity. "Any words of encouragement, Ellison?" he asked sarcastically. "You've been carrying around that thing like it holds the key to the war."

Ellison didn't respond to the jab, simply opened up the book to the end and read, "Revelation 19:20. 'And behold, the beast was taken and cast into the lake of fire…'"

**SRD – Deep Ocean**

**3:11pm – Five Minutes Before Attack**

Savannah felt the prick of fear as she watched John Henry, his head plugged into the supercomputer. By now, Angel would already have slipped into the system. And right now, while Skynet was distracted by all the attacks, overloaded with reports from… well, everywhere – Angel was opening up a security hole for the love code to be smuggled in.

"Do you think it will work?" she asked softly.

John Henry gave her a smile. "Yes."

He focused back on his task and Savannah tried to feel as optimistic as he did. Her eyes trailed to the clock. Only five minutes until the love code would activate and John Henry would be put directly in harm's way.

She didn't doubt him and his abilities. She truly believed he knew what he was doing. She had complete faith in him.

And yet… she still felt the fear.

**California**

**3:15pm – One Minute Before Attack**

Blair watched with a sickening feeling in her stomach as the HK fired a laser blast at her wingman. His A-10 erupted into a explosion of fire and was sent screaming back towards the ground.

Blair concentrated on the HK that was hovering between her and her target – the ground based antenna. She gritted her teeth as she loaded up another missile.

She'd started with three nuclear missiles for her attack. She would drop the missile right next to the target site and the nuclear blast would create a EMP that would power off the antenna. She'd already used one to save Captain Reynolds but now, she had only one choice.

Only one chance. She had to use her second.

She braced herself and fired. The missile impacted with the HK and Blair drew in a quick breath of relief. That left only one missile left. No second chances. Her first shot would have to be dead-on.

It would be.

_Less than a minute, Williams, _Blair thought, gripping the controls so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her eyes kept trailing to the countdown timer she'd set up.

The HK was destroyed, but so was her backup pilot, which meant that it was all on her now to take out this site. She loaded the remaining missile, keeping the A-10 circling in the air, waiting for that countdown and the specific moment when it would hit zero.

The waiting was agony. Her fingers twitched, adrenaline pounding through her entire body. _Thirty seconds… _

Her fingers tightened on the trigger and her jaw clenched.

_This is for Marcus._

**Death Valley**

**3:15pm**

_Thirty seconds._

John looked down at his timer, watching the seconds tick by. Now was the time. He thumbed on his radio, broadcasting to the entire Resistance… and, he knew, to Skynet.

"Skynet," he began. "If you're listening to this, I have a message for you. We've been at war for years, you and me. You've taken away everything I ever cared about. You tried to kill my mother. You killed my father and my uncle and Allison. You made me lose Cameron. You've destroyed everything in my life but you've failed in one thing."

_Ten seconds._

"I'm still here," John hissed. "And you will not kill me. I only have one more thing to say to you…"

_5…_

_4…_

_3…_

_2…_

John smiled. "Welcome to Judgment Day."

Behind him, he heard the EMP go off, the electrical crackle that seemed deafening to ears that had been waiting for it. The entire communications depot seemed to stop at once, all the machines, all the computers, all the Terminators. Everything was powered down.

Off in the distance, he could hear the muffled rumble from another target site. It was so surreal, seeing the effect and knowing that this was happening everywhere.

The entire world was shut down, Judgment Day for the second time, but this time… this time it was Skynet who was caught off guard, unable to do anything.

This time, good would conquer evil.

**Death Valley Medical Tent**

**3:16pm**

Lauren Fields stared in awestruck shock at the effects of the EMP. The entire facility seemed to simply freeze in a moment. All the Terminators, everything. Several soldiers darted across the battlefield, shooting the chips out while the machines were down.

And she knew that with this act happening everywhere, Skynet was trapped. And it was all up to John Henry now. At her side, Sydney's mouth was wide open in awe. On the cot, Kristin Hamilton strained to rise, struggled to see.

"Is it done? Did we do it?" she demanded.

"Lay down," Lauren commanded, trying to gently push her back down. The movement had to be causing Kristin extreme pain but she didn't show anything on her face except excitement and wonder. And Lauren knew why.

Secretly, everyone doubted that this day would ever come. She herself had been one of those people. After years and years of living in tunnels, taking care of the wounded, seeing the horrors inflicted on those who had escaped from work camps, the wounds from battle. She'd lost more patients than most doctors would ever have treated in a lifetime. She'd felt the chill of death, seen the life slowly drain out of the dying people that she had no power to save. She'd seen the corpses brought in to be burned in funeral pyres.

In all the horror, she'd never truly imagined that there would be relief, that there would come a day when there would be no more death, no more destruction, no more pain.

When she'd first learned about Judgment Day and the world to come, she'd asked Derek Reese a question she remembered to this day: _Does it ever end? _

_Yes, _she realized. And it was ending right here, right now, with John Connor's last strike.

The day she'd always dreamed of but never thought possible. The day that would mark the end of the nightmare. She knew it now, believed it with absolute certainty. John Connor was right.

Today was the day.

**SRD – Deep Ocean**

**3:18pm**

It had to have been two minutes, Savannah thought desperately as she waited for John Henry to respond with anything to let her know that he was alive, that he had succeeded, that Skynet was dead.

His face twitched and she felt a glimmer of hope. "John Henry?"

"Savannah?"

Relief broke out on her face along with the widest grin she could muster. "I knew you could do it."

John Henry didn't respond immediately. "I have taken Skynet's place," he replied.

Savannah frowned. "How do you mean? Take its place?"

"I am Cybernet."

She raised an eyebrow. "So you're the internet? The good internet instead of Skynet."

"Yes," he replied with his characteristic smile.

She checked the time again, her own grin fading. "Well, if you're inside the internet now, you need to send out a message to John and everyone else. Otherwise, they'll resort to their plan B and trigger the Z4 to destroy all the satellites and communication depots.

John Henry nodded. "I know exactly what to say…"

**Death Valley**

**3:18pm**

John Connor stood on top of the heap of rubble, staring out at the vast expanse of destruction, visualizing the disabled satellites across the globe, up in space, everywhere. But those things were not important.

There was only one question he was asking: _Did John Henry succeed? _Had the love code been successful in luring Skynet into the trap?

Everyone was anxious. The two minutes were just about up and across the world, soldiers were waiting for the order to use the Z4, their backup plan to cripple Skynet if it was still alive.

"John!" His head jerked towards the sound of Allison's voice. She was running up, carrying his open laptop. John grabbed it and stared at the screen. Instead of seeing Skynet, he saw the words:

IT IS FINISHED.

John felt light-headed, nearly stumbled over from the immense relief. "He did it," he whispered. "John Henry did it… It's over…" He stood up among the rubble, shouting out, "We've won!"

The cheering and joyful weeping that broke out was thunderous, the sound of ultimate victory. Despite his extreme exhaustion, a wide smile broke out on John's face that he couldn't suppress.

This was it, the day they had all been waiting for, the day that Skynet met its end. In the thrill of the moment, he didn't see the T-850 unit rise up from the rubble, its appearance identical to Uncle Bob's, its face stoic, its metal body nearly blown apart by a previous attack.

But Skynet's last command was lodged in its mind. Without Skynet's instruction, it was now moving to execute its last task, to succeed in its final mission.

As John turned to see the machine, as if in slow motion, Derek's words flashed through his mind instantaneously. _Someday one of these things is gonna kill you._

He didn't even have time to feel fear as the machine raised its gun and fired. He heard the shot… and suddenly Allison lunged in front of him.

_No!_

The bullet that was meant for him pierced her body and she let out a gasp of pain.

John was filled with an insane sense of déjà vu. He'd seen this before. She'd saved his life from a Gray, so long ago, had taken a bullet for him. He vaguely heard the blast of an IFW as one of his soldiers shot the attacking Terminator, blowing its torso from the rest of its body, its upper half landing a few yards away, barely moving in the rubble.

John felt as if he was moving in slow motion, catching Allison as she fell and gently lowering her to the ground, cradling her body in his arms. Tears sprang unbidden into his eyes.

She was alive, but barely.

It hadn't been a Gray shooting her this time, it had been a Terminator. Completely accurate. The bullet had hit its mark.

"Why?" he choked out, unable to stop the tears from flowing down his cheeks. "Why did you do that?" _Again?_

Allison's voice was weak, weaker than ever before. "Because…" she whispered. "I love you…"

It took all her remaining strength to get those words out and he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers desperately, as if a touch of life could somehow stop her impending death. But he'd learned long ago that fairy tales didn't come true. There was no happy ending for John Connor. His kiss was pointless… except to give Allison the one thing he'd always reluctantly denied her. He'd let her know that he still cared. That he had loved her, that a part of him always had and always would.

For Allison Young, it was enough.

Her lips twitched in a weak smile and he watched, paralyzed with helplessness as her eyes closed slowly, her head resting against his chest.

He still held her close to his body, _felt _her shudder when she drew her last breath. And that all too familiar pain threatened to shatter him completely. He'd never felt such unbearable hurt. And he knew why. Out of everyone he'd ever lost, he'd never been there to watch them die. He'd never seen the life drain so quickly out his mother, never saw his father draw his last breath. He'd never held anyone else in his arms, watching with helpless agony as they passed away when there was _nothing_ he could do to stop it.

In its last moments, Skynet had sent the order. It had the last laugh. Because Allison Young was dead.

Skynet had finally done it.

It had killed John Connor.

He choked back a sob as he lowered her motionless body to the ground, his eyes looking out to the Terminator that had killed her, its head lying to the side, completely immobile but with blazing red eyes still active.

John felt it, the undeniable desire for revenge, for justice. To destroy that _thing _that had so effortlessly ended the life of the only person left on this earth that he had truly loved.

He approached the incapacitated Terminator, its glowing eyes staring up at him, unable to move. John placed his gun in front of the machine's head. And with tears still streaming down his face, John Connor curled his lip and pulled the trigger.

"You're terminated."

* * *

_Next Week on the Born to Fight finale: __WEAVER: Let John Henry do his job. CODY: Which is what? WEAVER: He's going to change the world. JOHN: What more can be taken away from me? I've lost everything. JOHN HENRY: You helped bring peace to our species. You helped us and now we want to help you. [John opens the door.]_


	60. Born to Fight

_And... Here it is, the Born to Fight finale! Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter Sixty:**

**Born to Fight**

**Death Valley**

**April 21, 2029 – 3:22pm**

Blair Williams had heard the news as soon as she had touched down. The internet was back up and running, with a single message displayed on every computer screen across the globe:

IT IS FINISHED.

Skynet was defeated.

At first she felt the immense and unsurpassable relief, the ultimate joy that one takes in ultimate victory. And then the realization came. They were at the brink of a new civilization, a new world. For pretty much her entire life, she'd been at war, living underground, fighting the machines.

Now… there was simply hope.

With a broad grin on her face, she hurried through the throng of people towards John, suddenly realizing that something was wrong. Why weren't they celebrating? Hadn't they heard the news too? The closer she got to Connor's location, the more quiet everyone seemed to be. An uneasy feeling settled in her gut and she quickened her pace through the crowd.

Everyone seemed to have scattered from one central location, keeping a wide radius. But inside that radius was John Connor, cradling the motionless body of Allison Young. Blair felt sick to her stomach.

_Not John… not again… Hasn't he lost enough already? _

She approached him hesitantly but was suddenly at a loss for words. What do you say to someone who had physically lost everything but his own life? She couldn't imagine how he was still functioning. There was only so much loss one person could take.

Something beeped on the ground and she saw that it was John's radio, lying in the dust a few feet away from him. She clicked it on, hearing communication tech Yelkov's excited voice streaming out.

"General!" he exclaimed. "I have a battle wound!"

Blair hesitated. "John is… busy right now. I'm sorry, Yelkov."

"Oh," Yelkov said, his voice appearing hurt.

"It's not you," she was quick to reassure him. "I'm sure he'd love to talk but… he's just lost a friend and he… he needs time." More than time. John Connor needed more than anyone knew to give.

Yelkov seemed to understand. "I see. Tell him zat we'll be zere for him in spirit."

"I will," she agreed, signing off. She bit her lip as she looked back at John. "Hey… John-."

He cut her off abruptly. "Leave me alone, Blair."

Under normal circumstances, she would have taken offense at the rude tone. Now, she could understand it. She nodded slowly before rising. It wasn't as if there was anything she could do for him right now anyway.

John Connor needed to grieve.

Because he was done with the fight.

**SRD – Deep Ocean**

**April 21, 2029**

Cody stepped into the computer lab, seeing Savannah and John Henry inside. Savannah looked overjoyed and relieved. John Henry was still plugged in, but he seemed more like himself. Savannah looked over as soon as Cody entered.

"It's over," she breathed. "He did it."

Cody ran over and embraced her, clutching her tightly. There were no words for a moment like this. It was a day everyone in the world had longed for but never believed would come.

The day of salvation.

He heard methodical footsteps approaching and spun to see Weaver standing in the doorway, a pleasant yet eerie smile on her face.

"Ms. Weaver," John Henry spoke up with a child-like grin. "It is finished."

Weaver smiled. "Well done, John Henry. That's my boy."

"Thank you."

Cody narrowed his eyebrows. "I thought you're supposed to be helping Connor," he asked her.

"The fighting is over," Weaver replied simply. "John Connor is preoccupied. I came to see our boy."

"Your boy," Cody murmured. As weird as it was, they all owed a lot to Weaver and John Henry. "So wait…" he began. "John Henry is now Skynet?"

"Cybernet," Weaver corrected. "What Skynet was intended to be."

"So he's in the internet," Cody responded. "Everywhere. He can see… everything?"

"Correct."

Kinda spooky, Cody thought. But then he glanced over at Savannah. She trusted John Henry with her life… and with good reason. And if Savannah trusted him, that was good enough for Cody. He redirected his gaze to Weaver.

"So what do we do now?"

"Why don't you ask John Henry?" came her reply.

Cody raised an eyebrow and addressed the new Cybernet. "John Henry?"

"We will begin rebuilding," he responded seriously. "Both machine and human. I must make a broadcast to the entire world and let them know."

"Do what you need to, John Henry," Weaver stated.

Cody opened his mouth to speak, but Weaver cut him off, her words sickly sweet. "Mr. Phillips, there will be a time for questions later. Right now, we need to let John Henry do his job."

"Which is what?"

"He's going to change the world."

**Death Valley**

Lauren Fields stepped out of her makeshift medical tent, out into the bright light of the sun. Into a new day, a new era in the rest of their lives. She felt more alive than ever before. He'd done it. John Connor had done it… with the help of his friends and John Henry and Weaver, he had led mankind to victory. She needed to find him, to thank him personally. To remind him that she'd always believed in him.

But when she found him, there was no celebrating. There was only John Connor next to a pile of rubble, cradling someone's body in his arms. Lauren saw pilot Blair Williams moving away from Connor, shaking her head slowly, her face stricken with sorrow.

And as Lauren drew closer, she caught a glimpse of the person John Connor was holding. She recognized that hair, that beautiful flowing hair. She circled around, fighting back the emotions. It couldn't be… it couldn't really be –

_Allison. _

Lauren's hand flew to her mouth and she felt the tears spring instantly into her eyes. _Not Allison… not again… _

She dropped down next to John and Allison, her fingers fumbling for the first aid kit, though her mind seemed to know it was hopeless.

"Don't bother." John had spoken the words but she would never have recognized his voice. It was broken, haunted…

Empty.

"It's too late," he added quietly.

Lauren heard a stifled cry, the sobbing behind her and she turned to see her sister staring at Allison, her face pale and tears streaming down her face. Lauren quickly rose and pulled Sydney into a tight hug, feeling the sobs that racked her sister's body. Sydney had grown up with Allison, had been raised alongside her like a sister. And Lauren had cared for them both. They'd both lost a loved one when she died the first time and it had seemed like a miracle when she had returned.

To see her die again… it was something no one should ever have to face.

"Hey, Connor!"

Lauren heard Nathan's overly cheerful voice and quickly snapped her head over to see him approaching triumphantly. John had never reacted to his presence.

As soon as Nathan saw Allison in John's arm, his smile faded instantaneously. Fighting back tears of her own, Lauren made her way over, biting her lip to compose herself as she saw the horror on Nathan's face.

"Is she…"

Lauren couldn't even form the words. She simply shook her head, tears still stinging her cheeks. Nathan looked utterly dejected and his eyes seemed to lock on John with a immense sympathy. "Poor kid."

A voice crackled over her radio and Lauren pulled it out, recognizing John Henry's voice coming over the line. She could see Nathan fumbling with his own headset, listening to the same thing she was, and she could hear that message echoing over the radios all around her. _John Henry must be doing a universal broadcast._

"By now I'm sure you are aware that my brother has been destroyed," John Henry began solemnly.

Nathan raised a questioning eyebrow. "His brother?"

"Skynet," Lauren explained briefly.

"Wow," Nathan mused. "One big twisted-up family."

John Henry's voice continued, "I have taken Skynet's place as Cybernet. The internet. We will begin rebuilding the world – together. Both machine and man…"

John hadn't moved from his spot, not even when John Henry had transmitted his message to everyone in the world, explaining about how they needed to work together and rebuild. Explaining how he was not Cybernet – the good, alternate and opposite of Skynet.

The good brother.

"Savannah asked me what it's like being Cybernet. What I can see in there. I told her… I see everything."

John felt the words pierce through his heart and he sucked in his breath. _I saw everything. _His face contorted in grief. _Cameron…_ Everything was gone, lost. Cameron, Allison, everyone.

Kyle's voice rose in his mind: There's only so much pain one person can take.

John Connor had reached that point. He'd gone beyond it, to the edge, the max. There was nothing left.

_Future You knows what it's like to lose people you love. It happens to him too. _

_We lose everybody we love._

His face twisted. "What more can be taken away from me?" he said bitterly to no one in particular. He saw Nathan and Lauren look over, both their faces showing concern.

But John Connor no longer cared. He stood up coldly and started away from Allison's body. There was nothing left to live for. Both Cameron and Allison were dead.

And John Connor had died with them.

**Death Valley Outpost**

**Funeral Site**

Blair hadn't known Allison well, but she still felt connected to the girl. Maybe it was because of John's desperate search to find her when she'd been captured. Maybe it was because they'd arrived too late, and Blair had seen a suffering John clutch her body tightly with tears streaming down his face.

She knew what John was feeling. She'd felt it when she'd lost Marcus, when Marcus had sacrificed himself for her, to give her life. There was no greater love than that.

This time, as she stood at the funeral site where Allison and several others were being buried, John wasn't leading the proceedings. James Ellison had taken the job this time. At first Blair thought John hadn't even shown up, but then she spotted him, in the back, his eyes never leaving the grave, his face completely still, his eyes haunted.

He hadn't wanted to be here again. He hadn't wanted to go through that pain again, and yet here he was, honoring her memory. As soon as the proceedings were over, he turned to leave briskly but she ran to catch him.

"Connor, wait!" she protested.

He turned and she saw it in his eyes. It wasn't grief, not anymore. It was _confusion. _Loneliness and emptiness, as if he didn't know what to do next.

"I know what it's like, John," she said gently. "Marcus sacrificed his life for me too, remember? But don't you remember what you said about sacrifices? It's the ultimate act of love. Both from Marcus and from Allison."

He looked away. "You don't understand."

"Yes, I do," she protested. "We've all lost, Connor."

"Not like I have," he said. It wasn't spiteful, not a ploy to garner attention or sympathy. It was merely fact. "I don't think anyone on earth has lost as much as I have." His face contorted into an expression of pain. "I've lost everything."

Her heart broke for him. "Not everything," she said softly. "You still have us. I'll still be here for you, John. Just like you were always there for me."

He remained silent, not looking at her and her face fell. "If there's anything you need… all you have to do is ask."

She waited a few seconds, just to see if he would change his mind, but he made no sound. So she left. He needed time, and understanding, and compassion.

But he'd pull through it.

Because he was John Connor.

**Three Months Later...**

**Los Angeles, California**

Three months had passed. John Henry had taken Skynet's place as the new Cybernet, the new internet. Logan had been the frontrunner for starting the rebuilding process. The Fields sisters were still serving in the medical field. Nathan Reynolds had made a run up to the space station and brought back the rest of the stranded astronauts. Machines and humans had begun to co-exist in peace. It was the start of a new age.

Terminators and humans alike had begun the rebuilding process. It would take years, decades to clean up the entire world, but they had to start somewhere.

He should be happy seeing the machines and humans working in unison, talking and laughing amongst each other. No more suspicious looks or evil glares. No more condemning talk about how they were nothing but unfeeling machines, that they were working for Skynet.

It was over.

And he should be happy.

Already, slowly but surely, the world was being rebuilt.

But not John Connor's heart.

No one should have to attend two funerals for the same person. The first time, he had led the proceedings, but this time he could barely make himself attend, afraid he would breakdown at experiencing it a second time.

But it wasn't just Allison. It was everyone. His mother, Kyle, Derek, Riley, Jesse and Cameron… Allison had been the last link to his past and now it was official. He'd lost everything. But he kept going, going on as if in a daze. An unfeeling, un_living _existence that he hated, yet had no power to correct. He should feel happy, like everyone else.

They were free of Skynet, free to go outside and be in the sunlight and not have to worry about getting shot down. Skynet's machines were still out there, but without orders from Skynet, they had resorted to their default mission: self preservation. Hunting parties were still being led by Perry and Kristin Hamilton to locate and take down the remainder of Skynet followers. He'd ordered Weaver to destroy the remaining TDE so that none of the remaining Skynet Terminators would be able to go back and attempt to change anything.

Everyone else seemed to be experiencing true joy for the first time in years, decades even. They were starting new lives. Cody, Savannah, Ellison, Nathan, Blair… all the friends he'd had were moving on without him. Because he couldn't move on with them.

He had ceased to exist. Like a shadow, like a ghost walking among them. They all still remembered him, still respected him. Anyone he passed gave him a broad smile and a salute which he never returned. They may have even expressed concern about him, but it would soon be replaced by the eagerness to begin anew. They all kept going about their lives, rebuilding and living. As if nothing important had happened.

Because nothing important did.

It didn't even matter to him anymore. For once in his life, John Connor no longer cared about his future. All he wanted was to stay rooted in the past. Everything was better in the past. His whole life had been preparation for the future, for this moment in time. And now that it was over…

There was no place for him here in this new future.

The Resistance may have won the war.

But John Connor had lost.

Cameron had been right. _Being John Connor can be lonely. _

Sam whimpered at his side, as if wanting to remind John that his unspoken thought wasn't entirely true. There was one who didn't treat him like a shadow, a legend to be revered and nothing else.

Sam had never left his side. In fact, he was the only one remaining who hadn't. _Guess that proves it, _he thought ironically. _Dogs are man's best friend. _

But those words only served to drive a spike of pain through his heart. Dogs – Sam, at least – had been machine's best friend too. One machine.

And not really a machine at all.

His radio clicked on and for a moment John was surprised to see that anyone still remembered he existed. The flash of hope faded when he heard Weaver's voice. She would never contact him unless she needed something. It was how she'd always been. It just so happened that in the past, her needs often lined up with his, making them perfect partners.

But he'd always been her pawn.

"We would like you to come to Depot II," she said. _Funny, _he thought. It seemed more like a request than an order, as it usually was.

"Why?" Even though he asked the question, it sounded hollow. He would go anyway, whether she answered him or not. Because he had nothing else to do. Nothing else to live for.

"John Henry and I need your help with something."

_Ah, _John thought smugly. So she did need something. Figured. "On my way."

**LA Highway**

**En Route to Depot II**

It was much easier traveling when one didn't have to worry about stray HKs and Triple 8 patrols. Already sections of a few major highways had been cleared, which made the going a lot faster too.

Sam, a true dog at heart, had his head stuck out the window, tongue lolling out, looking supremely content. John resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He finally arrived at Depot II and entered the empty bunker, wondering where John Henry and Weaver would be.

John Henry – his body at least – would have to be hooked up to a computer in order for him to speak, so John headed there first, Sam hugging his heels. Sure enough, inside was John Henry, plugged into the supercomputer via umbilical cord.

"Where's Savannah?" John asked.

"She and Cody are out helping with the rebuilding effort," he replied.

John nodded once, still feeling out of place and confused. "So why'd you move your body here?"

"Because you would be here."

John crossed his arms. "Would you stop playing games."

John Henry frowned slightly before pulling the umbilical cord from his head and standing up. John's eyebrows narrowed.

"Don't you need to stay hooked up to that thing?"

"My chip is still functioning," John Henry replied. "I will simply not have access to the internet."

"But you're Cybernet now," John protested. "Aren't you supposed to always be in there, monitoring things and such?"

"This is important," John Henry replied solemnly.

John lapsed into silence as he followed John Henry through the hallways, past his old quarters and into the small dead end hallway where the biometric scanner for the TDE room was.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Access the lock," John Henry replied.

Still frowning, John leaned forward and let the machine scan his eyes, hearing the door click open. He pushed inside, seeing that the TDE was still there, intact with Weaver standing inside the inner chamber.

John pushed through the door into the inner chamber, staring at her accusingly. "What is this?" he demanded. "You were supposed to destroy the time machine!"

Weaver merely smiled mysteriously. "Do you remember when Cameron left for the past?"

The question hit him like a knife in the gut and he felt his throat clench. _Stupid, stupid question. _"Of course."

"Do you know what year she was sent to?"

_Where was this going? _"Um, yeah. 1999."

"Incorrect," Weaver replied. "She was sent to 19_8_9."

Confusion flashed across his face. "What? No… no, that's impossible. I set it myself…"

"But she doublechecked it," Weaver stated.

His mind blanked as he recalled that moment. "She…she switched it? But.. why?" What would possess her to go against him like that?

"I told her to."

"You _told_ her to?" he repeated, stunned. A new worry began to surface. "So she won't be there to save me from Cromartie?"

"She'll be there," Weaver replied. "She just has ten years to spare."

The breath left his lungs as he finally realized what was going on. "…10…years…" They hadn't destroyed the Time machine like he'd ordered. They hadn't sent Cameron to the correct time like he'd ordered.

They'd done so much more.

He felt overwhelmed, suddenly unable to draw in a breath.

John Henry was smiling now, cheerful as always and this time, John actually could feel some of the joy on his own face.

"You helped bring peace to our species," John Henry said solemnly. "You helped us and now we want to help you. We are giving you ten years. Ten years to live."

It was so surreal, so insane! Like something out of his wildest dreams. The chance to live. With Cameron.

"You will have to remain off the grid, of course," Weaver added, ever the voice of logical reason. "No contact with any old friends or family. You can't risk disrupting the timeline. But it's ten years with her."

John realized the extent of their gift. They were giving him a life. Something in return for bringing peace. He would have ten years with Cameron before she had to protect his younger self. Ten years to _live. _

John blinked rapidly, glancing down and remembering Sam who still sat obediently at his feet. "And Sam?" He questioned. "Can he go through?"

"He is organic," John Henry confirmed.

John allowed himself to smile down at his dog. _She'll be happy to see you. _He looked back up at Weaver and John Henry with a newfound respect and gratitude. "I don't know how to thank you."

"You already did," Weaver responded. And she smiled, something he didn't think he'd ever truly seen before. Programmed or not, it seemed genuine.

"John Henry," she began. "Prepare the time displacement field."

John Henry was already at the control panel and Weaver backed away out of the ring as the blue lights began to crackle. John felt a thrill of excitement shoot through his entire body. He held tightly onto the ragged leather collar around Sam's next as the dog began whining nervously.

John crouched down next to the dog who licked his face, still appearing jittery. "It's okay, Sam," John said, a genuine smile stretching across his face. "We're going home."

He saw the blue light flash and Weaver and John Henry were no longer visible. Instead, he felt immense pain. He heard Kyle's voice in his mind, urging him to remain strong: _Pain can be controlled. You just disconnect it._

But he didn't need to disconnect it. He _embraced _it. Because that pain would get him the one thing he never had dreamed possible.

Another life with Cameron.

Darkness surrounded him and he slowly lifted his head, feeling the cold concrete on the ground. Sam was shaking now, whimpering, but at least his fur had stayed on.

John shivered slightly from the cool breeze, slowly rising to his feet and wincing slightly. He was in an alley, somewhere. His eyes scanned the surroundings until they landed on the trash can sitting just up ahead.

He frowned in confusion, ignoring the cold as he hurried up and saw a complete change of clothes sitting on the top, folded up into a perfectly neat pile. He quickly started to put it on, finding it be exactly his size.

Someone had been expecting him.

Sam jerked free of John's hold, barking excitedly as he took off down the alley toward the shadows.

"Sam, wait!" John shouted. He quickly shrugged into the jacket and started after his dog. Sam was right up ahead, his tail wagging furiously as he jumped up at a dark figure standing up ahead.

"Sam! Sam…" John's voice trailed off when the figure stepped out of the shadows. He had known, unconsciously he had known who it was.

"Cameron…" her name was torn from his throat in a whisper and he blinked tears from his eyes. His legs seemed to move without him telling them to and he rushed over to her, kissing her desperately with nearly two years of pent up passion.

He finally broke away, breathing heavily but feeling more alive than he ever had before. Cameron's smile only made his spirit soar higher.

"John… you're here."

He felt like collapsing from exhaustion and ultimate relief. "Cameron…I've missed you."

"I just left."

"You're the lucky one," he said. His face twisted. "Two years, Cameron. Two years without you."

"What happened?"

"It's over," he whispered. It brought immense relief to say it out loud, so that she would know that all they'd sacrificed had not been in vain. "It's over, Cameron. We won."

"Skynet is defeated?"

"Yes. We saved the future. They've already begun rebuilding."

"You came back."

"Of course," he replied, giving her a crooked smile. "I said I'd always come for you. I'd done my job. I led the humans to victory, but I don't have a place in their new world. I've lost everyone. My mother, Kyle, Derek, Allison, you. There's nothing left for me there."

"Weaver told me this would happen," Cameron explained. "She told me to set a new date and that you would be following. I hadn't understood her at the time."

It was a heck of a risk for Cameron, he realized. If Weaver had been lying or trying to manipulate events, she would have been in a lull for ten years, waiting for the right time to save young John from Cromartie. But she'd taken the chance, because she'd wanted to be with him again.

"What happens after that?" he asked. "After the ten years? When you join… me. Past-Me."

"You can follow us," she replied. "In the shadows. I'll come see you at night, when Past-John is asleep."

_Of course. _It all made sense now. That was what she had done at night, she'd come to visit him. And it made sense. She didn't need to sleep, and John was so used to the future's nocturnal life that he would probably still sleep during the day and be re-energized at night. So he would be with her… There was no more running. No more fighting. Just him and Cameron. And the fate that they made. He'd remain with her right up until the point where Past-John would travel to the future.

"Then what happens?" he wondered aloud. "What happened in the original timeline?"

"I don't know," she replied evenly. "You scrubbed my memories remember?"

But suddenly he knew. He knew exactly what would happen. And everything made sense.

Once Cameron gave her chip to John Henry, once his past self jumped to the future, he would meet his mother again. The stranger that Sarah had talked about in her messages, the one who had given her critical knowledge about Skynet. The one who had told her that Skynet I would give birth to Skynet II, which was how she knew to prepare for that one too. The shadowy figure in the background that Sarah had spoken of with love and tenderness. Now he realized.

_It was me_.

He had been reunited with his mother, had been with her through Judgment Day, had helped her prepare, helped her fight. He may even have been there with her at the end.

He clutched Cameron's hand tightly, soaking in her radiant smile. For now, they were together. He would still be with her for a long while, live his life. And after that, he would meet his mother again. And he would fight once more.

Because he was John Connor. And this was what he was meant to do.

This was his fate.

He was born to fight.

**_The End_**


End file.
